H. Grant Troop has been named to fill the position of No-Till Agronomist by the Penn State Cooperative Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Capital Resource Conservation and Development Area Council, Inc.

Troop will be located in southcentral Pennsylvania, one of the most agriculturally-focused areas of the state, with a goal of increasing the adoption of no-till acreage to benefit both farmers and the Chesapeake Bay.

Through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the regional Park the Plow for Profit program, Troop will provide a valuable link between farmers and county, state and federal programs that intend to serve the agricultural community.

Troop’s background includes earning a bachelor degree in agronomy from Penn State University and a master’s degree from Moody Graduate School in Illinois. He has experience in teaching, operating a no-till farm business, agricultural and environmental consulting as well as serving as staff agronomist for an agricultural supply company, for which he developed and implemented marketing strategies for crop nutrients, crop protectants and seeds with a no-till friendly emphasis.

“As I look at the agricultural and environmental issues in the Capital Region, I am convinced that no-till farming, in conjunction with cover cropping and residue management, is the most cost-effective and fast track route to accomplishing our mutual goals,” said Troop.

Park the Plow for Profit is a no-till assistance program offered to farmers in the south central PA region. The objective of the program is to encourage the transition to continuous no-till cropping systems in the area covered by the Capital RC&D Area Council, administrators of the project.

EQIP is administered by the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service and is a voluntary conservation program that provides producers with incentive payments for conservation activities that help limit soil erosion, improve water and air quality, and protect wildlife habitat.

The two programs together offer farmers the benefit of technical assistance throughout the transition to a continuous no-till system as well as absorbing the costs associated with any risk involved in adopting new practices.

This position has been made possible thanks to a public-private partnership effort between the NRCS, Capital RC&D, the Department of Environmental Protection, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Capitol Region Penn State Cooperative Extension and participating county conservation districts.

For more information or to speak directly with Troop, please contact him by phone at: 717-274-2597 ext. 130 or by email at: grant.troop@rcdnet.net .

5/11/2007