We lost some great ones in century’s first decade: George Eli Sharec

George Eli Sharec

One of Ohio’s biggest champions of conservation efforts and no-till production, George Eli Sharec, died May 2, 2008,

His life’s passion revolved around the family farm in Trumbull County. Awareness of conservation practices began when George, his wife, Ruth, and George’s father, Eli, acquired their first Conservation Farming Guide from the Trumbull Soil and Water Conservation District in 1961. In 1978, the Sharecs pioneered and implemented no-till conservation tillage, which continues today. In 1976, George was named Conservation Farmer by the Trumbull Soil and Water Conservation District and a subsequent award was presented in 1998. He was elected supervisor of the Trumbull SWCD beginning in 1977 and retired after 21 years. He was also named Ohio Conservation Farmer of the Year in 1984 and one of the top 10 finalists awarded by the National Endowment for Soil and Water Conservation.

He was also a leader within the county Farm Service Agency, county and state Farm Bureaus, and was a life member of Crossroads Resource Conservation and Development Council.