Increased outreach is strengthening partnerships and helping farmers comply with environmental planning requirements, the Department of Environmental Protection said Wednesday on the successful first-year results of expanded agricultural inspections in Pennsylvania’s part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
“Thanks to the spirit of partnership and hard work of 28 county conservation districts, we’ve been able to assess the good work many farmers are doing and help those who need and want to do more,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell.
Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding joined Secretary McDonnell in the discussion, along with two staff from the DEP Bureau of Clean Water: Jill Whitcomb, Chief of Nonpoint Source Pollution, and Doug Goodlander, Environmental Program Manager, Operations Division.
They discussed the farm inspection process, compliance findings and enforcement actions, and what’s typically addressed in a plan.
“Among other valuable lessons we’ve learned during this first year, the results confirm that farmers are investing in best management practices to protect water quality. They’ve been doing it for a long time and on their own dime,” said Redding. “The inspections confirm that more than two-thirds of the small and medium farms visited have the required plans in place, and the farmers welcome the chance to demonstrate that they are doing the right thing to protect water quality – now and in the future.”
DEP launched the Chesapeake Bay Agricultural Inspections Program in July 2016 to complement the existing state farm inspection programs in ensuring that farmers in Pennsylvania’s 43 counties in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed meet requirements to have manure management plans, erosion and sediment control plans, or both.
Inspections covered 2,823 farm operations, or more than 390,000 acres of farmland, and showed that approximately 60 percent of farmers met plan requirements. Many others are willing to work with DEP and county conservation districts toward meeting them.
“Our dedication to on-the-ground best practices is moving us, farm by farm, toward increased conservation of natural resources,” said Secretary McDonnell. “Our goal is to ensure that Pennsylvania farmers have healthy land and livestock, water-dependent businesses can thrive, and all Pennsylvanians have clean streams, rivers, and lakes for our health and enjoyment.”
Click Here for a copy of the Chesapeake Bay Compliance Reports.
For more on Chesapeake Bay-related initiatives in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s Chesapeake Bay Office webpage.
(Photo: Chesapeake Bay Journal: Inspectors Find Most PA Farms Trying To Comply With Conservation Regs, But Not All.)
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