Farming land his grandmother once owned, Fred L. Sipes says he’s a caretaker of a precious resource. As he was growing his operation, he adopted conservation practices with assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Determined to leave the land and water better than he found it, he joined the Meade County Conservation District’s board, and was an early adopter of a Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Plan. Fred uses a number of livestock and crop systems, including rotational grazing, watering facilities and feeding pads, buffer strips, no-till, and cover crops. Just as Aldo Leopold wrote about the “ethical relationship between people and the land that they manage,” Fred is inspired to share his conservation story with consumers. “He exemplifies who today’s farmer should be – eager to learn and serve. And more excited to educate others about what he has learned,” said Andy Mills, Meade County Extension agent.