Posted: February 10, 2017

A recent College of Ag study shows Pennsylvania farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed have voluntarily implemented many conservation practices with their own dollars. The study is the first comprehensive effort to document and report these previously unreported practices to the Chesapeake Bay Program.

Stream bank fencing was among the practices reported in the survey.

Stream bank fencing was among the practices reported in the survey.

A recently released study from the College of Agricultural Sciences shows Pennsylvania farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed have voluntarily implemented many conservation practices with their own dollars.

The study, based on a survey funded by the Department of Environmental Protection, is the first comprehensive effort to document these "non-cost shared" practices. In December 2016, the practices were reported to DEP for inclusion in its most recent report to the Chesapeake Bay Program documenting Pennsylvania's progress in meeting agricultural water quality goals.

The AEC played a critical role in coordinating the survey, working with researchers and Extension specialists in the College of Ag Sciences, and many agency and agricultural partners, including DEP, Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, PennAg Industries, Professional Dairy Managers of PA, conservation districts, and many others.

For more information about the survey, visit Penn State News. A recorded webinar announcing the survey results and the final report can be found on DEP's Chesapeake Bay Office website.