The Ellis family – Benjamin, Shannon and their son Tripp – farm in the environmentally sensitive and highly regulated Chesapeake Bay Watershed. They recently received the American Soybean Association 2025 Conservation Legacy Award for their commitment to responsible farming, a legacy nurtured over generations.
The Ellis operation, known as Thomas Neck Agricultural Enterprises, is located in Champlain, Virginia, and brings together two multi-generational family farms. Shannon represents the 10th generation in her family. Her family’s operation is recognized as a Virginia Century Farm, an official designation for farms owned by the same family for at least 100 consecutive years. It produces soybeans, corn, wheat, and beef cattle. The couple’s son, Tripp, works alongside Shannon to help manage the commercial cow-calf operation. Benjamin’s family farm dates back to 1683 and grows soybeans, corn and wheat.
Conservation is nothing new in Shannon’s family. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, her father began using minimum and mostly no-till practices, and she’s keen to continue his stewardship of the land.
“We believe in taking care of the land that has provided for both of our families for generations,” Shannon says.
Conservation in Action
The Ellis family’s farming practices aim to:
- Improve soil health and structure while reducing soil runoff and erosion
- Reduce operational expenses, which they achieve by optimizing the use of protectants and fertilizers, minimizing weed pressure and improving water quality and infiltration
- Maintain wildlife and pollinator habitats
- Improve yield and profitability while enhancing the farm’s overall environmental and economic resilience
Since their operation falls within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, they also need to ensure their farming practices comply with nutrient management requirements outlined in the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (Bay Act), which aims to protect and improve water quality.
Cover crops are vital to the family’s efforts to conserve soil and water. Every year, they plant cover crops, including cereal rye, black oats, clover mix and a blend of black oats and hairy vetch, in approximately 90% of their fields.
“Our families have relied on the soil and water for their livelihoods for hundreds of years,” Shannon says. “We are humbled and honored to receive this award and feel like it is truly recognition for my early innovator and progressive-minded father. He modeled what conservation farming should be and shared his passion for farming, servant leadership and lifelong learning with us.”