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Howard and Mary Jo Straub Receive National Award -
the Glynwood Farmer Harvest Award

October 13 , 2009 - Glynwood, the not-for-profit organization whose mission is to save farming in the North East, has announced the winners of its 7th Annual Harvest Awards.  The Harvest Awards were created by Glynwood in order to highlight innovative work being done to increase access to fresh, locally-produced food and to recognize leaders across the country who support regional agricultural systems. 

Local dairy farmers, Howard and Mary Jo Straub of Triple H Farm of St. Johns, have been awarded the 2009 Glynwood Farmer Harvest Award for their leadership, innovation and commitment to sustainable agriculture on their grass-based dairy farm.

Howard Straub, Jr. and his wife Mary Jo started Triple H Farms in 1972 with a confinement feeding dairy operation. After attending the Michigan Grazing Conference in 1993, they began transitioning their herd to seasonal grazing, and by 1995, they had fully transitioned and never looked back. Today, they milk around 100 Holstein, Jersey and New Zealand Friesian crossbred cows on 250 acres of land have become national leaders and resources in grass-based seasonal dairies.

Howard and Mary Jo in Triple H Farms exemplify what it means to be a sustainable, family farm. Their dairy is not only environmentally sound but also highly lucrative, and they openly share their numbers, experience and success with anyone interested in learning about grass-based systems, especially young farmers. Howard says that grazing “puts the fun back in farming” which has led three of their four children to pursue grass-based dairy farms of their own in Michigan and Ohio. If they hadn’t transitioned to grazing, Howard and Mary Jo don’t believe their children would have continued farming.

In addition to serving as leaders in numerous state and national agricultural and grazing boards, including Howard’s eight years on the Michigan Food & Farming Systems (MIFFS) Council, five of those served as Chair, Howard and Mary Jo have hosted grazing and farm tours and workshops and have partnered with the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) and Michigan State University to advance the research and outreach of grazing in Michigan and across the nation.

Howard and Mary Jo will also be awarded “Farmer of the Year” at the 2009 MIFFS Annual Harvest Celebration: A Local Food Dinner and Benefit Auction on October 29 for their years of support to MIFFS, innovation, willingness to share and mentor, and their focus on family and sustainability.

“We are so grateful for all of Howard and Mary Jo’s time and talents over the years and are thrilled to see them receive this national award,” said Elaine Brown, MIFFS executive director. MIFFS nominated Howard for the Harvest Award earlier this year with help from Betsy Dierberger, a close partner at USDA NRCS. “If anyone deserves this award, it’s Howard and Mary Jo,” she said.

This year’s Glynwood Harvest Award winners will receive their awards at a presentation at Glynwood on Sunday, October 25. Other Harvest Award winners include the Glynwood Good Food for Health Harvest Award  to Plow to Plate, a program of New Milford Hospital, New Milford, CT; the Glynwood Harvest Award for Connecting Communities, Farmers and Food to Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Homestead, PA; and the Wave of the Future Harvest Award to Cody Hopkins and Andrea Todt, Co-creators, Falling Sky Farm, Marshall, Arkansas. Read more about these award winners at www.glynwood.org/Programs/HarvestAwards/HarvestAwardWinners2009.html. 

Glynwood’s mission is to help communities in the Northeast save farming.  Located in the Hudson Valley and operating its own sustainably managed farm, Glynwood’s unique niche is to empower communities to support farming and conserve farmland through its community programs, public education and leadership in environmentally sustainable agriculture.  To learn more about Glynwood and its initiatives, visit www.glynwood.org.

To arrange for interviews with Glynwood President Judith LaBelle or the Harvest Award winners or to attend the October 26 Harvest Awards Panel Discussion at The French Culinary Institute, please contact Geralyn Delaney Graham, geralyn@resourcescommunications.com or tel/ 281. 980. 6643.

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Founded in 1998, MIFFS is a statewide membership organization (501c3) whose purpose is to promote diverse efforts that foster and sustain food and farming systems that improve economic, ecological and social well-being.  MIFFS has been effective at establishing successful partnerships among producers, markets and institutions that have created more profitable, environmentally friendly food systems in Michigan.    

The organization’s vision is based on the premise that agricultural productivity, environmental stewardship and profitability reinforce each other for the benefit of Michigan’s rural and urban communities.  To learn more, please visit www.miffs.org or call (517) 432-0712.