Dassow Family Farms Honored with Pheasants Forever 2024/25 Farmer of the Year Award Pheasants Forever’s 2024/2025 Farmer of the Year Award, sponsored by John Deere, is presented to John Dassow and Dassow Family Farms of Chatsworth, Illinois. The annual award recognizes the innovative use of precision ag technology and utilization of data to identify profitable solutions for agriculture and wildlife on working lands throughout America. “Everybody in the area says they wish we had twenty John Dassow’s around here,” said Jason Bleich, a private lands biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “He’s doing prairie restoration seedings, controlled burns, moving dirt on wetland restoration — he’s a jack of all trades. And now the pheasant numbers have exploded in the area, and on top of that, we’ve even had quail coming back. The change he’s made on the landscape in a ten-mile radius is incredible, and imagine if every county had a farmer like that.” Click the link below to learn more about John Dassow and the farming practices he's using to make a positive impact on wildlife. https://youtu.be/kXalp0BV398 #pheasantsforever #thehabitatorganization

Journey to Conservation Careers The Journey to Conservation Careers program was developed in partnership between Pheasants Forever, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bellevue University. This self-paced, online program features lessons around biology, ecology and upland habitat. Additionally, students will learn about the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, the Pittman Robertson Act and the role Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever play in conservation. Click the link below to learn about the wide variety of job opportunities and the FREE Journey to Conservation Careers Course. https://bit.ly/4jfOSvo #pheasantsforever #thehabitatorganization

Have you dreamed of walking behind a pointing dog and witnessing a covey of Bobwhite quail explode in front of you under a pine savannah? How about Chukar diving off rim rock as you shoulder your shotgun, legs burning and heart pounding? Is it the storied history of Ruffed grouse hunting in the Northwoods that you are eager to see for yourself? All of this and so much more is up for grabs in the 2025 Dream Hunt Raffle. Click the link below for your chance to win the upland trip of a lifetime! https://bit.ly/4jxzhab

It’s Tax Day! Whew, bet you’re glad that’s done. If you think getting your taxes done is hard, imagine how taxing it is for a hen to initiate a nest, hatch chicks and raise a brood. Across the pheasant range, it’s starting. Let’s hope she can get the job done too! Hit the link below to learn more about the magic of nesting season. https://bit.ly/3Re5A1U #pheasantsforever #thehabitatorganization #taxday

Join us for the 2025 Glenn Allen Paur Memorial Seminar featuring UND Alum and Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever President and CEO, Marilyn Vetter, on Friday, April 25th at Noon in the Chester Fritz Library - Room 406. "Science and Storytelling: How Leaders Can (and Should) Create Excitement for Wildlife Conservation!" Free Parking is available just north of the library (signs will be along University Ave) UND Alumni Association & Foundation UND Arts & Sciences University of North Dakota

Pheasant Fact Friday! In April, the hen’s productive energy increases for ovary growth and for body weight gain. She reaches her greatest weight in April, so she needs more energy to produce muscle and fat. Unlike the rooster, the hen is gaining weight in April, which means she is consuming more food now than she did last winter. A hen consumes 61 gm and 69 gm of food daily in March and April, compared to 52 gm and 55 gm in January and February. Thus, the hen’s total metabolic rate and metabolic needs have increased over that of last January. The exact relationship to the rooster’s metabolic needs is unknown. It is probably far greater for the hen – as she prepares for a rigorous breeding season. #pheasantsforever #pheasantfactfriday

Although we all know bird dogs are more than just "pets" we figured National Pet Day was a good excuse to pay homage to our favorite four-legged family members! #pheasantsforever #quailforever #birddogs

Can fire improve your land? It sounds surprising, but fire can bring life back to the land under the right conditions. In this episode of The Dairy Signal, experts from Pheasants Forever, Britta Petersen and Jake Pulfer, shared how prescribed fire can benefit farms, pastures and natural spaces - along with guidance and tools to do it safely and effectively. Discover more in the episode: https://mediasiteconnect.com/site/pdpw-dairy-signal/watch/b9ce5fac-bd9d-44c4-40b7-08dd707bc74a

Pheasants need high-quality habitat that provides food sources, winter cover, and diverse grasslands for nesting and rearing young. Spring is when it all starts. You can support wildlife habitat projects by making a gift today! Donate $45 or more at the link below and receive the PF Graphic T-Shirt featuring art by Ryan Kirby Art as our “thank you” for supporting conservation. In addition to benefiting pheasants, high-quality habitat helps ensure we have clean water and healthy ecosystems! https://pheasantsforever.org/SA25 #pheasantsforever #thehabitatorganization

Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation are working to protect a 422-acre grassland and woodland property in south central Iowa to provide crucial wildlife habitat and public access for outdoor recreation. The parcel, located on the border of Madison and Clarke counties, will be named the Jim Wooley Family Tract in honor of the 31-year-long career of the PF & QF biologist. The site includes considerable grassland, woodland, and riparian habitats, which show signs of remnant prairie. These grasslands will support bird species such as Henslow’s Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, pheasants, and northern bobwhite quail. The tract is one of the largest roadless wilderness areas in the state and has seen extensive native habitat restoration over the last several years, helping to create a popular hunting destination. Learn more about the project and how you can support its protection at the link in below! https://bit.ly/3Yo9w3W #pheasantsforever #quailforever #thehabitatorganization

For National Wildlife Week, we’re revisiting the Shell Rock River Watershed District’s multi-partner, Clean Water Fund-backed work with Pheasants Forever and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on a 245-acre prairie and wetland habitat restoration featured in this #MnBWSR Conservation Story: https://buff.ly/gp5G9sG Minnesota Watersheds Pheasants Forever - Minnesota #CleanWaterFund #OutdoorHeritageFund #NationalWildlifeWeek #wildlife #habitat #wetlands