TOWANDA, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Centers for Dairy and Beef Excellence are offering a farm mapping and erosion control planning training for farmers on Feb. 24 in Canton, Pa. The workshop will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with lunch included. There is no cost to attend. Preregistration is required. To register, go to www.bccdpa.com/events or call the Bradford County Conservation District at 570-265-5539 ext. 6. Farmers from all counties are encouraged to attend.
The workshop will focus on teaching participants how to use the web based mapping and planning program called “PA OneStop.” Designed and managed by Penn State Extension, PA OneStop helps farmers use aerial photography for farm mapping and measuring, which can be used for all sorts of management activities including hunting, wildlife management, forest management, planning of construction projects (i.e. buildings, fence, water, grazing systems), crop management and conservation planning, just to name a few.
This training is aimed at helping farmers use the software to complete an Ag Erosion and Sedimentation Control plan, which is required by Pennsylvania law for all farms growing crops or with outdoor barnyards. Participants will learn to map farm fields and calculate soil loss based on a crop rotation, which is the main component of an Ag Erosion Control Plan.
The workshop will run from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. with lunch included. Presenters will be on hand until 4 p.m. for any who would like to stay and continue working on their plan. A farm may be able to complete a plan by the end of the day. A follow up workshop is scheduled for March 3 for any who would like to return for help completing their plan. A farmer could also get help completing their Manure Management Plan.
The Pennsylvania Centers for Dairy and Beef Excellence are offering this same workshop in multiple locations across Pennsylvania, including one in Wellsboro, Pa., on Feb. 23. The full schedule of workshops can be viewed on the Bradford County Conservation District web page.
Having these two components of a conservation plan in writing are key compliance measures every farm wants to take. Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection said they will be increasing the number of farm inspections conducted in 2017. The farm’s manure management plan and erosion control plan are the first things they would ask to see. You want to be ready if they show up at your farm. DEP is responsible for enforcing PA’s regulations requiring farms to implement these plans.
Contact the Bradford County Conservation District with any questions at www.bccdpa.com, 570-265-5539 ext. 128 or nate.dewing@pa.nacdnet.net.
— Bradford County Conservation District