Amy Bradley, left, and John Bradley won the Grassland Award from the Kansas Bankers Association for their efforts in making their land more sustainable and allowing native grasses to thrive. With them is John Bradley's mother, Beverly Bradley.

It’s a luxury that John Bradley enjoys. After all, most people don’t have the means to call farming their hobby.

But Bradley, a veterinarian from Lawrence, thoroughly enjoys working the 100 acres he purchased from his mother, Beverly Bradley, just over three years ago. He has learned a lot, he said, even though he grew up tending the land.

“I’m an infant in this business. I’ve been doing the veterinary thing for 20 years, but in terms of managing livestock and learning about grass, I’m a newbie,” he said.

He has learned that farming really is a hokey-pokey of sorts, where everything is connected and every action has consequences.

“If we take care of the water quality at our place, it’s going to help our neighbor. If we control some of the unwanted plants, it’s going to help our neighbor. We understand Lawrence has become an urban county. We understand this is never going to be the Ponderosa with 20,000 acres, but if we can make it a classroom and make it pay for itself :” he said, pausing. “It’s my hobby.”

For their dedication and desire to learn, Bradley and his wife, Amy, are the recipients of the Kansas Bankers Association’s Grassland Award.

“I was so excited because he works so hard to do the right thing, and I was glad that he won it for doing the right thing,” Amy Bradley said. “One thing I can say about my husband is he always wants things better. Not (for) money, but better for the world and better for him.”

It’s a full circle of sorts for Bradley, whose parents won the Grassland Award in 1980.

Bradley has worked hard to make his land more sustainable, adding a gravel feeding pad, a stream crossing and a water tank that keep his 25 Herefords healthier.

He has also allowed native grasses to thrive – his first missive when he and Amy moved to their home, adjacent to the land, was that they would never mow their lawn. That has allowed native grasses on their property to re-establish, creating a more diverse bioculture.

The lessons that K-State Research and Extension in Douglas County has taught the Bradleys mean that their labor costs are smaller – hauling manure is a thing of the past – and John estimates that his overall costs have been slashed by 50 percent in recent years.

“That’s some of what’s so neat about what the extension service has helped us with,” Bradley said. “We were feeding hay six months of the year. And now we may feed hay 60 days at the most, and when we do, we use the larger bales we can feed them off.”

His wife, for one, is relieved that the knowledge her husband has taken in is resulting in less work for everyone.

“When I got married, I was suddenly throwing small bales and holding grain buckets, so that was a surprise,” said Amy, who owns a quilting business.

But knowledge is the key, they say.

“These are things I had never realized,” John said. “Why didn’t we do it that way? Because we always had.”

The Bradleys believe in helping their neighbors and their community. In October 2006, John invited the extension service to his farm for what he called “a field day.”

He has turned the farm into a living classroom, where people can see the real-life implementation of what people like extension agents Bill Wood and Will Boyer, a water quality expert, preach.

“My parents were very active in the community and very active in 4-H and extension,” John said. “I remember when I was (young), there would always be a bus or something where a group of people would come out and see a project. It’s a huge influence on me.”

In the end, this is just a hobby. But the Bradleys work hard to make sure it’s a hobby that is worthwhile for everyone.

“It’s neat to try and do what’s right, and leave it better for those that follow us,” John said.