The 2021 Dave Reid Award — formerly known as the Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) Canada Producer Innovation Award — has been presented to Duane Movald.
Movald has been an ALUS Brazeau participant and chair of the Partnership Advisory Committee (PAC) since the program launched in Brazeau County, Alta. in 2016.
Bryan Gilvesy, CEO of ALUS, says Movald is exemplary among ALUS participants, which is why the organization is so pleased to recognize him for his efforts.
“Through his commitment to stewardship, Duane embodies ALUS as a movement of farmers and ranchers seeking ways to improve their land and their communities,” Gilvesy says.
Owner and operator of Movald Ranches, Duane Movald has been a vocal advocate for the ALUS program, sharing its benefits for farmers and ranchers and its successes with the environment.
“The ALUS program is truly like no other. Farmers receive acknowledgement for the environmental work that they are doing, work that benefits the greater good of all society,” says Movald.
Duane and his family were among the first to complete a project with ALUS Brazeau. Now, a few years into their ALUS riparian management project, there are noticeable changes to the land encompassed by the project.
The Movalds now utilize that project area as a pasture cell, which only sees light grazing when necessary. The change in usage enables a greater diversity of plant species to develop and grow, and can help mitigate water flow, capture sediment, and provide cleaner water downstream.
“We are entering a pivotal time in history where the importance of green infrastructure will begin to be recognized as a huge part of the bigger overall picture, and it is an amazing thing to be able to play a role in that,” said Duane.
This year, the Dave Reid award recognized three runners up. Sarah Hargreaves and Drake Larsen, of ALUS Elgin, and Olivier Martin, of ALUS Montérégie.
