On July 18, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $90 million in 53 Conservation Innovation Grants projects, which support the development of new tools, approaches, practices and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands.

This year, increased funds were available because of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which is funding CIG projects that address climate change, with a particular focus on innovative solutions to reduce livestock emissions of enteric methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Secretary Vilsack announced the CIG grants during an Investing in America roundtable in Pennsylvania while highlighting USDA programs focused on innovative climate strategies.

Two awarded CIG projects will take place in Pennsylvania--

-- The Nature Conservancy - $2.2 Million: Through an outcome-based incentive focused on nitrogen use efficiency, this project will empower farmers to make innovative and holistic farm management decisions that result in advanced Nitrogen  management practice implementation, improved nitrogen use efficiency, reduced environmental Nitrogen surplus, and agronomic sustainability.

Trusted farm advisors will be key partners in both the planning and implementation of these practices on corn and wheat acres in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

-- Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship - $4.9 Million: This project will deploy PaddockTrac, an innovative and cost-effective precision Ag technology that accurately measures forage availability, on 20 small and mid-sized dairy farms in four states: Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Collaborating with dairy producers who currently implement continuous grazing, these on-farm trials aim to reduce the learning curve and stimulate the increased adoption of innovative practices by providing comprehensive technical assistance, data collection, and evaluation of the economic and conservation impacts of utilizing this technology to transition to managed grazing.

Project partners are Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship, University of Missouri, University of Wisconsin, Farm Financial Institute, and Water and Land Solutions LLC.

Visit the USDA NRCS-PA webpage for more information on assistance available for farm, forest and land conservation.

Related Articles - Watersheds:

-- PA Assn. Of Conservation Districts Recognizes Conservation Award Winners  [PaEN]

-- PASA Sustainable Agriculture, Keystone Ten Million Trees Partnership Giving Away 100,000 Trees  [PaEN]

-- PennVEST Makes $257 Million Investment In 18 Water Infrastructure Projects In 13 Counties  [PaEN]

-- USDA Awards 2 Conservation Innovation Grants For Projects Benefiting Pennsylvania Totaling $7.1 Million  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Ag Progress Days To Feature 400+ Commercial & Educational Exhibits; Field Demos; Forest Management; Stream Buffers Tour In Centre County Aug. 13-15  [PaEN]

-- PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers Celebrate Successes Spotlight: Neshaminy Watershed Assn. Is Back And Better Than Ever In Bucks, Montgomery Counties [PaEN]

-- Registration Open! For Acid Mine Drainage Passive Treatment Course Set For Sept. 17-19 In State College  [PaEN]

-- Master Watershed Stewards Of Cumberland, Franklin Counties Host Aug. 26 Watershed Walk - Plant Identification In Letort Spring Garden Preserve, Carlisle, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

-- Registration Open! Penn State Extension 5-Part Backyard Stream Repair Webinar Series Starting Aug. 27  [PaEN]

-- Allegheny County Conservation District Releases Updated Development, Stormwater Data; Sept. 24 Workshop On Stormwater Trends  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards Now Signing Up Volunteers For Training Sessions  [PaEN]

-- What’s The Future Master Watershed Program By Penn State Extension, DCNR?  How Can I Start A Group?  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Holds Aug. 1 Hearing On Water Withdrawal Requests For Amazon Data Center, Luzerne County; 8 Shale Gas Development, Gas Power Plant Withdrawals  [PaEN]

-- Reminder DEP To Hold July 23 Hearing On Water Quality Permit For Lehigh County Core5 Warehouse Project In Lowhill Township

NewsClips:

-- The Allegheny Front: States Like Pennsylvania Struggling To Access, Spend Federal Funds For Abandoned Mine Cleanup And Redevelopment

--- The Allegheny Front: Chalfant Run In Allegheny County Getting Federal Help To Clean Up Its Abandoned Coal Mine Pollution

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: A $40 Billion Critical Mineral Supply Chain Could Start In PA With Abandoned Mine Drainage 

-- Centre Daily Times: Plans For 1,000 Acre Ampliform/Project14 Solar Energy Project On Abandoned Mine Lands In Rush Twp., Centre County Move Forward, Questions And Concerns Remain

-- Lancaster Farming: Farmers Gain Conservation, Innovation Funds In PA State Budget 

-- StateImpactPA: PA Waterways Contribute To Chesapeake Bay Earning Its Best Grade In Over 2 Decades In This Year’s Report Card

-- Scranton Times: Chesapeake Bay, Its NE PA Watersheds Of The Susquehanna, Lackawanna Rivers Show Improved Aquatic Health

-- The Daily Item Editorial: Progress Is Certainly Good, But Work Remains In Chesapeake Bay Watershed

-- Stormwater Solutions: Hanover, York County Leveraging Community-based Public-Private Partnership To Fund Green Water Infrastructure

-- York Daily Record - Brian Whipkey: Chop And Drop Projects Are Happening Across The State In Wild Trout Waters, Here’s Why

-- WHYY: FEMA Announces $2 Million+ To Help Flood-Prone Eastwick In Philadelphia

-- Citizens Voice: Residents, Officials Still Await Decision On Federal Flood Maps Appeal From 2021

-- Delaware RiverKeeper July 19 RiverWatch Video Report

-- Erie Times: Lake Erie Was At Record Levels In 2019; Where Things Stand Now And a Forecast 

-- Erie Times: NOAA Seeks Advisory Council Members For Proposed Marine Sanctuary In PA Portion Of Lake Erie

[Posted: July 20, 2024]

7/22/2024