The Center for Dairy Excellence and Center for Beef Excellence are working in partnership with local conservation districts and the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau to support and conduct workshops helping dairy and beef farmers write Agriculture Erosion & Sediment Control Plans and Manure Management Plans. Featured speakers Bob Neiderer and Rick Day, from Penn State Cooperative Extension’s PAOneStop program, will provide direct assistance to attendees on mapping their farms and writing the environmental compliance plan.
The workshops are being offered at no charge and will include a meal. Participants will have the opportunity to develop a tailored plan for their operation during the workshop.
The schedule is as follows:
Berks County: Thursday, April 5 and Thursday, April 19. Both will be held 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Berks County Ag Center, 1238 County Welfare Rd Leesport, Pa. Contact Josh Hanna at joshua.hanna@berkscd.com or 610-372-4657.
Blair County: Wednesday, March 28 and Wednesday, April 11. Both will be held 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Morrisons Cove Memorial Park Banquet Hall, 201 South Walnut Street, Martinsburg, Pa. Contact Richard Huether at rhuether@blairconservationdistrict.org or at (814) 696-0877 ext. 5.
Chester County: Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 21. Both will be held 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lower Oxford Township Building. Contact Dan Miloser at dmiloser@chesco.org or at (610)925-4920 ext. 115.
Huntingdon County: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 and Thursday, February 22, 2018. Both will be held 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Juniata Room of Huntingdon Comfort Inn, at 100 S 4th St., Huntingdon, Pa. Contact Abbe Hamilton at agriculture@huntingdonconservation.org at 814-627-1626 ext. 110.
Lehigh County: Wednesday, April 25 and Wednesday, May 2. Both will be held 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Lehigh County Conservation District, 4184 Dorney Park Road, Allentown, Pa. Contact Damian Painter at dpainter@lehighconservation.org or 610-391-9583.
Lycoming County: Saturday, April 7, 2018 and Saturday, April 14, 2018. Both will beheld 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Lycoming Ag Center, 542 County Farm Rd # 202, Mon-toursville, Pa. Contact Tim Heyler at THeyler@lyco.org or at 570-329-1621.
Perry County: Tuesday, February 6, 2018 and Wednesday, February 21, 2018. Both will be held 5 to 9 p.m. at Greenwood High School, 405 E. Sunbury St., Millerstown, Pa. Contact Kristie Smith at ksmith@perryco.org or 717-582-5138.
Somerset County: Thursday, March 1, 2018 and Thursday, March 8, 2018. Both will be held 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the AG Service Center, 6024 Glades Pike # 103, Somerset, Pa. Contact Donald Williams at don-scd@wpia.net or 814-445-4652 ext. 5.
Tioga County: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 and Tuesday, April 3, 2018. Both will be hel 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Tokishi Training Center, 124 Nypum Drive, Wellsboro, Pa. Contact Andrea Boyce at aboyce@tiogacountypa.us or 570-724-1801.
Westmoreland County: Wednesday, February 28, 2018 and Wednesday, March 7, 2018. Both will be held 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at J. Roy Houston Conservation Center, 218 Donohoe Road Greensburg, Pa. Contact Daniel E. Griffith at dan@wcdpa.com or at 724- 837-5271 ext. 103.
Workshops in additional counties continue to be added. For a complete schedule of the workshop dates, times and locations, go to centerfordairyexcellence.org and click on the link under “Upcoming Events.” For locations with two workshop dates, participants should plan to attend both days as the second day will build on content covered in the first day.
Support for this joint initiative is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Ag Excellence initiative within the state budget. It complements a growing emphasis on helping Pennsylvania’s agricultural producers to contribute to water quality improvement goals, particularly within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, by offering assistance for beef and dairy farmers to attain a base level of compliance with state conservation and clean water requirements.
By 2025, Pennsylvania agriculture is responsible for reducing nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment runoff to meet the annual allowed discharges entering the Chesapeake Bay, a number set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the federal Clean Water Act in 2010. Pennsylvania plays a significant role in Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts.
For more information about the environmental planning workshops, farmers can contact:
• Ombudsman Beth Futrick at (814) 696-0877 ext. 113 or via email at bfutrick@blairconservationdistrict.org.
• Agricultural Ombudsman Shelly Dehoff at 717-880-0848 or via email at shellydehoff@lancasterconservation.org.
The Center for Dairy Excellence is a non-profit organization initiated by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in 2004. Bringing together people from more than 40 different dairy organizations in Pennsylvania, the center’s mission is to enhance the profitability of the dairy industry by empowering people, creating partnerships, and increasing the availability and use of resources. Learn more at centerfordairyexcellence.org.
