Accomack County native Jim Evans farmed evenings and weekends throughout a 20-year teaching career before building a large crop operation across land that had been farmed by three generations of his family. He primarily grows corn and soybeans on his 4,000-acre farm, and has partnered with another local producer to farm an additional 700 acres. His regimen of wheat and barley cover crops, along with minimal tillage, boosts soil health and reduces loss by maintaining the soil’s organic matter and biological activity. Evans maintains a nutrient management plan and uses precision, variable-rate nitrogen application equipment and low-drift spray nozzles to most effectively fertilize his cropland and curb runoff. He has also planted 2 acres of pollinator habitat to attract local insects and enrich the ecosystem for other wildlife. An advocate of agricultural conservation, Evans is devoted to improving the quality of his local farming environment for future generations. His daughter, Claire, is now following in his footsteps as she acquires the conservation farming skills that have made her father so successful.