Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff celebrated the success of the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) farm conservation tax credit program this week by presenting the Kopp family of Stoneylawn Farm in Dauphin County with $19,500 in tax credits.

“REAP helps farmers cut costs when implementing conservation practices that will reduce soil and nutrient loss impacting Pennsylvania’s streams and watersheds,” said Secretary Wolff. “The significant response to this first-time program shows our farmers’ commitment to protecting the environment.”

“We commend the state Department of Agriculture and the State Conservation Commission for their ability to pull all of the pieces together so quickly, identifying worthy projects, and getting REAP on the ground within such a short timeframe,” Matthew Ehrhart, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Office Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “Given the success of the REAP program and the unmet demand by farmers for these conservation practices, we ask the Governor and the General Assembly to increase the REAP program to $35 million per year, as called for in the Pennsylvania Fair Share for Clean Water legislative proposal.”

The Pennsylvania Fair Share for Clean Water Plan was proposed by a coalition of groups, including the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania Builders Association, Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and the Pennsylvania Realtors Association, to help wastewater system ratepayers and farmers meet the costs of Chesapeake Bay cleanup mandates.

The first year of the Fair Share Plan proposes the allocation of $100 million to help wastewater plants finance required improvements; $50 million to direct cost-share aid to farmers to install conservation practices (including increasing the cap on REAP farm conservation tax credits to $35 million and $15 million in cost-share funding); $10 million to county conservation districts to expand technical assistance to farmers; and $10 million to restore cuts to the Department of Agriculture farm programs. The proposal would also reform the state’s nutrient credit trading program to help allow for future economic development.

The Department of Revenue this week projected the Commonwealth will end this fiscal year on June 30 with a $437 million surplus.

The Kopps used the credits to purchase no-till planting equipment that will prevent water runoff from their fields. The family has instituted many other conservation practices, including developing a nutrient management plan, installing a manure system and adopting cropping practices specific to erosion prevention.

"The tremendous response to REAP demonstrates that farmers continue to make strides in protecting water quality on their farms, but need help to go even farther,” said Ehrhart. “REAP is a practical solution that's helping farmers achieve the highest levels of stewardship while making those improvements economically feasible.”

The State Conservation Commission administers the REAP program and reviewed the applications on a first-come, first-served basis. In the first 10 days that applications were accepted, the requests surpassed the $10 million credit allotment for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. To date, 277 eligible projects were approved by the commission, which will receive the tax credits from the Department of Revenue.

Approved conservation practices include nutrient management plans, stream bank fencing and riparian buffers, manure storage systems and alternative manure treatment practices, filter strips, grassed waterways and intensive grazing systems, among others. In addition, the tax credits can be used to purchase no-till planting equipment like the Kopps.

“Conservation programs like REAP give farmers new ways to incorporate the most efficient management practices specific to their operations,” Secretary Wolff added.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Fair Share Plan for Clean Water, visit the Fair Share Plan webpage.

For more information on REAP, contact program administrator Mary Bender at 717-787-8821 or send email to: mabender@state.pa.us or visit the REAP Program webpage.

NewsClips: April Tax Collections Brought Surplus for PA Coffers

Video Blog: Remarks By Coalition Partners on the Fair Share Clean Water Plan

Links: Coalition Proposes Fair Share Clean Water Funding Plan

16,000 Miles of Polluted Streams Add Urgency to Call for Clean Water Funding

5/2/2008