A new “farmer-to-farmer” mentoring program has started in Lebanon County and on June 26, a series of field walk events will kickoff the Lebanon County Farmer Network Project.

If you have been wondering what your neighboring farmer has been doing that seems to save him time in the field and fuel in his tractor, read this article and attend a local event to find out more.

The goal of the program is to help conservation tillage beginners avoid some of the hurdles that more experienced farmers have already overcome.

A farmer-focused process has been developed by which local farmers will hear from their peers about the advantages of a “no-till systems approach” in terms of fuel usage, labor costs, soil quality, equipment savings and overall bottom-line benefits. The process will help to reduce the risk of change for smaller operations while adopting new production techniques.

Randy Ziegler of Fredricksburg, the farmer hosting the field walk, has been using no-till for about 6 years, and sees the benefit of a mentor approach: “with farming, what works at one place, doesn’t work at others. There are different things to pay attention to with no-till, like using cover crops. I use cover crops to take up the nitrogen so that I can apply manure.”

Ziegler is willing to assist other farmers to achieve the level of management that he has and feels that the time savings with no-till is the biggest benefit for he and his family. He added that, “If you think you’re done learning, you’re done farming.”

The program has been made possible through a 3-year $223,000 commitment to Lebanon County from the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network, a coalition of foundations interested in promoting healthy local waters and sustainable agricultural communities. The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and Center for Agricultural Partnerships coordinate the CBFN agricultural initiative.

The Capital Resource Conservation and Development Area Council, administrators of the project, have collaborated with the local partners to form a county “team” responsible for working to benefit farmers, and ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay. Capital RC&D, Lebanon County Cooperative Extension, the County Conservation District, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the No-Till Sluggers Group (comprised of local producers) and CBFN all provide valuable support to this project.

The Lebanon County Farmer Network Project links innovative no-till producers (who have already adopted a no-till system) to beginning no-till farmers through a network of technical support and education, with assistance from the County team. Once put in place, these best agricultural practices will help improve the water quality of Lebanon County’s streams as well as the producer’s bottom line.

Del Voight, lead Extension Agronomist on the project, shares his thoughts. "Farmers teaching farmers about no-till is a proven success in terms of learning. We all value the message received from our peers, and farmers respond well to seeing what works and what doesn’t from their neighbors. This if the first program of its kind in the state to address the peer-to-peer aspect, and we are happy to be a partner on this project."

For more information, contact Susan Parry 717-948-6633 or send email to: susan.parry@pa.usda.gov

6/22/2007