Jay and Samantha Prier’s 120-acre property in Mondamin, Iowa, will receive quite a transformation this month as part of the Create and Conserve habitat contest.
The couple was selected as the winner of the contest by Bobcat Co. and Rick and Julie Krueter, cohosts of “Beyond the Hunt” on the Outdoor Channel.
“My wife and I believe we have a responsibility to give back to the environment while showing our children we can live in harmony with the amazing wildlife around us,” Jay Prier said. “Responsible land management practices such as maintaining native prairie grasses, managing the timber stands, minimizing soil erosion and promoting wildlife sustainability are all a part of the focus for our property in conjunction with maintaining tillable acres for agricultural production.”
Since purchasing their property in 2009, the Priers have enrolled 5 1/2 acres of tillable land into the Conservation Reserve Program, a land conservation program administered by the Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They replanted land previously used for agriculture with native prairie grasses for soil stabilization, planted apple trees for wildlife forage and created a large garden that continuous self-sustainment.
“I’ve used Bobcat machines for every major project we’ve had on our property,” said Jay Prier. “I couldn’t be more excited to have this opportunity to execute 10 years of our dream projects and make them all a reality in only a week. I want to operate every piece of equipment they’ll let me.”
