On April 27, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services-PA awarded $4 million for the Turkey Hill Dairy Clean Water Partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and ten other partners.

This project has been in the planning stages for some time, with conservation plans drafted that are prepared for financial assistance to help producers implement water quality practices and systems to support local and Chesapeake Bay water quality.

Partner contributions will complement NRCS' funding for on-the ground conservation and will also provide for outcomes reporting activities.

The Alliance is in conversations with other good companies with a Chesapeake Bay presence to expand this supply chain-driven model for the benefit of water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

It will bring technical and financial assistance to producers to meet supply-chain sustainability initiative goals of Turkey Hill Corporation by focusing on South Central Pennsylvania.

The Turkey Hill Clean Water Partnership introduced a requirement for all farmers supplying milk to Turkey Hill to obtain a heightened level of on-farm conservation through developing conservation plans (including CNMPs).

“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program  is public-private partnerships working at their best,” said Denise Coleman, NRCS State Conservationist in Pennsylvania. “These new projects will harness the power of partnerships to help bring about solutions to natural resource concerns across the country while supporting our efforts to combat the climate crisis.”

For more information on financial and technical assistance available to landowners, visit the Natural Resources Conservation Services-PA webpage.

PA Chesapeake Bay Plan

For more information on Pennsylvania’s plan, visit DEP’s Chesapeake Bay Office webpage.

How Clean Is Your Stream?

DEP’s Interactive Report Viewer  allows you to zoom in on your own stream or watershed to find out how clean your stream is or if it has impaired water quality using the latest information in the draft 2020 Water Quality Report.

Related Article:

-- NRCS-PA Awards Lancaster Clean Water Partners $7.4 Million To Restore Streams On Agricultural Lands In Lancaster County

[Posted: April 27, 2021]

5/3/2021