Conservation District Official Award of Excellence

FRANNY FRITZ of Iroquois joined the Beadle Conservation District board as an advisor in 1989. She was elected to the Beadle Conservation District board of supervisors in 1991 and is currently the chair. In 2002, she became SDACD's South James-Missouri area director and served as secretary-treasurer. In 20101 she was elected president after three years as vice-president. She was elected to represent South Dakota on the National Association of Conservation Districts board, a position she's held for nine years. She currently serves on the Legislative Standing Committee and Invasive Species Task Force. Her conservation philosophy is "As a supervisor, I represent all in my district, rural and urban. All of the inhabitants, human and non­human, use the natural resources. By implementing best management practices for these resources, we are assuring a better life for all. Unfortunately, one size does not fit all. From a small garden planter to a farm of 100,000 acres, learning from past successes and mistakes, all of us benefit". Fran's family has been in the dairy & cattle industry since 1883. After graduation from SDSU, Fran started her own dairy with 5 cows, slowly growing the herd to 28. She also started building her beef herd from six of her father's herd. The 1988 economy led to her decision to switch to solely beef cattle. In 2021 the SD Grassland Coalition featured Fran's conservation efforts in their Amazing Grasslands series.