The Department of Environmental Protection's Wednesday announced the expanded agricultural inspections program for clean water management in Pennsylvania's part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed not only exceeded federal expectations for number of acres inspected, but also found that a majority of farms are complying with state erosion and sediment control and manure management planning requirements.

The announcement was made at a joint information meeting held by the House and Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committees during Penn State’s Ag Progress Days in Centre County.

"The addition of the new Chesapeake Bay Agricultural Inspection Program to our existing farm inspection programs has had strong results out of the starting gate," said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. "While the focus is on-the-ground best practices, the goal is the conservation of natural resources. Much as Pennsylvania farmers need healthy land and livestock, our fishing and other commercial interests and our communities need clean water and healthy aquatic life.

"With every step we make toward meeting Pennsylvania’s goal of clean local water, we also benefit our partner jurisdictions in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed," he added.

Launched in July 2016, the Chesapeake Bay Agricultural Inspection Program complements the existing Act 38 Nutrient Management Program and other state farm inspection programs.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initially required DEP to inspect 10 percent of farms in the 43 Pennsylvania counties in the Bay watershed. Given the variety of definitions what constitutes a farm, DEP determined a more accurate approach is to inspect acreage associated with agricultural use.

Approximately 3,093,000 acres are farmed in Pennsylvania’s section of the Bay Watershed. More than 12 percent of farmland was inspected in the first year of expanded inspections: 245,664 acres through the CBAIP and 147,762 through the Act 38 program.

CBAIP inspections showed that approximately 60 percent of farmers met their requirements to have manure management plans, erosion and sediment control plans, or both. DEP is pursuing enforcement actions on farmers not meeting their planning requirements.

As important, 80 percent of Act 38 regulated farms have met their requirements to have and implement nutrient management plans and erosion and sediment control plans.

Most inspections are performed by county conservation district staff trained by DEP.

Conservation district offices in 27 counties (roughly the same number as in 2016-2017) have applied for the training and funding to carry out inspections for 2017-2018: Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Chester, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Perry, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Wyoming.

In Bradford, Cameron, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Luzerne, Northumberland, Tioga, Union and York Counties, DEP staff will perform the inspections.

Brenda Shambaugh, Executive Director of the PA Association of Conservation Districts told the Committees. “If the inspected farm did not have a working manure management plan and an erosion and sedimentation plan, the conservation district assisted the farmer to develop and implement them. The goal of the inspections is to ensure farmers using BMPs are getting credit for the work they are doing.”

John Bell, Senior Government Affairs Counsel for the PA Farm Bureau said, “The gap between needed funding and available funding is huge. He also noted the economic challenges faced by farm families in keeping their farms viable, stating that they cannot afford to bear the full cost required to meet EPA’s time table.”

Despite concerns, several participants in the meeting indicated improved relations with EPA and a recognition by the agency of the unique challenges facing the Commonwealth and its farmers.

DEP also provides technical assistance and funding support to many farmers to create plans for their operations and install conservation best management practices.

The PA Agricultural Ombudsman Program provides educational outreach to the farming community on the importance of these practices and where to find help.

In addition to the inspections programs are the many conservation best management practices that farmers voluntarily implement, as shown in a 2016 Penn State farm survey.

"Penn State’s survey in 2016 confirmed what we already knew, that Pennsylvania farmers have voluntarily made significant investments to implement best management practices, often at their own expense,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “That’s good news for the environment and for agriculture. There is more work to do, but I am confident that farmers will continue to find new ways to protect both water and soil while improving the long-term viability of farms."

Pennsylvania is mandated by EPA to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment levels in waters in its Bay watershed counties by 2025.

While the Commonwealth has made significant progress toward meeting the EPA targets, particularly since launch of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Strategy in January 2016, DEP said considerable work remains to be done.

For more information on Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts 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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[Posted: August 16, 2017]

8/21/2017