When Kent Weber teaches agriculture classes, he wants his students to end the academic year with two things: the ability to think and problem solve and a proper work ethic.

In the many field projects he and his students undertake each year, he not only wants to give them an appreciation for agriculture and conservation, but also he hopes to instill in them what it takes to get a job done correctly.

The La Salle County Soil and Water Conservation District awarded Weber with the Conservation Teacher of the Year award at a picnic Thursday at Pitstick Pavilion in Ottawa. The District is celebrated its 65th anniversary at the picnic, and also presented the Glascock family, of Streator, with the Conservation Farm Family of the Year award. Friends of the District award certificates were presented to about 15 contractors who worked in the county installing conservation practices.

The teachers and families are nominated for the annual awards by the SWCD board or sometimes by outside nominations, said Ruth Anthe, SWCD administrative coordinator.

"Generally, it's somebody out there we think is worthy of the recognition because of the conservation they practice," Anthe said.

The farm family award, which goes to those who practice good conservation on their farms, was presented to the Glascock family because of the many conservation tactics they employ, she said. The Glascock family includes brothers Steve Glascock, John Glascock Sr., and John's son, John Glascock Jr.

Steve said the farm, primarily operated by John Sr., has been in their family for about 70 years, and includes about 1,300 acres. The family farms corn, soybeans, wheat and hay and has a small herd of cattle as well.

Steve helps on the farm when he can, and also manages farm property in northern Illinois, he said. John Jr. is a student at Western Illinois University.

Steve said the family began its conservation practices in the mid-1980s when it implemented no-till farming for soybeans. In the 1990s, the family started strip-till farming corn and developed a spring for watering cattle, which improved water quality. Anthe said along with these conservation practices, the family has implemented filter strips, terraces and grassed waterways.

Steve said the SWCD has helped the farm with achieving its goals of retaining soil and maximizing production off the land.

"We've had the assistance of the Soil and Water Conservation District and the (Natural Resources Conservation Service) in helping us attain some of our conservation goals," he said. "Conservation in general is important whether we're trying to conserve our soil or enhance water quality. (SWCD) has been very progressive in changing their programs to fit the large or the small farmer. That's really important."

He said there has been a progression in developed technological changes. No-till and strip-till farming are part of these advances.

Strip-till farming refers tilling and planting a small strip, about 7 to 10 inches wide, directly onto that strip. This allows less soil disturbance and less soil erosion, Steve said.

According to Weber, no-till farming refers to farmers leaving crop residue from the year before on the top of the soil and plant directly into it. This helps reduce wind and soil erosion, and water erosion doesn't wash it away. It also helps with fuel costs and pollution, as tractors aren't needed to till the land.

Weber teaches his students about conservation efforts and a proper work ethic at Seneca High School, where he's taught agriculture for the past 20 years.

He also teams up with the FFA to work with his students on many agriculture-related projects such as farming practices, baling straw and volunteering at fairs like the recent FFA Fair in Ottawa and the Seneca Summer Fest, among others. He said the bales he and his students make in the summer are sold each fall, and the FFA pays the students for their work.

Weber also takes graduates to Canada each summer for an outdoor wilderness trip, he said. Also in the summer, Weber and his students farm a 115-acre land lab, which the FFA is in charge of.

In the classroom, Weber discusses conservation techniques and how dynamic agriculture is. He teaches his students about the other industries related to agriculture besides production, but still thinks "it's rewarding to see the number of students who go into the agriculture business every single year."

But, Weber said, no matter what profession his students enter, they need to be able to think for themselves, and hopes the projects he helps them with gives them that opportunity.

"Someday they'll be the ones advancing those ideas into the new century," he said. "I want my students to take initiative and be a leader in whatever job they choose."

The Times/Tom Sistak

John and John Jr. Glascock inspect some soybeans in their no-till field north of Streator. The Glascock family was awarded this year's Conservation Farm Family of the Year by the La Salle County Soil and Water Conservation District for the many conservation tactics they employ.