Agriculture

Agriculture is a key cornerstone of the foundation of the District. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Indiana County has 951 farms that comprise a total of 148,288 acres, with 58% being used for crops compared to 42% for livestock, poultry, and other products.

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the District provides technical assistance and program availability visits to farmers throughout the county regarding drought management, best management practices, soil health, and funding assistance. Additionally, the District provides manure management assistance and Resource Enhancement and Protection Program (REAP) application guidance.

Farming remains one of the most important industries in Indiana County. The District continues to serve our farming community by implementing best management practices to reduce soil and nutrient loss, thereby making the farm more profitable while cleaning up our streams in the process.

Agriculture and the Environment

How do farmers protect the environment? Farmers can implement many practices that conserve natural resources, while still producing a product and making a profit on the farm - a win-win!

Conservation tilling: This practice reduces soil loss by limiting soil disturbance to the first few inches (minimum tillage) or by limiting the disturbance to just that necessary to plant the seed.
(No-till). By keeping roots in the soil, less soil is likely to runoff the farm and into streams.
Contour plowing: Using this practice, a farmer plows a field following the contours of the land, not just in straight lines. This prevents water from coursing down a hill and picking up soil along the way, preventing erosion.
Strip cropping: Usually going hand in hand with contour plowing, strip cropping pertains to planting multiple crops in bands, usually alternating between erosion-susceptible plants and erosion-resistant plants. Again, this decreases the amount of soil erosion on a field.
Cover crops: Farmers can plant various species of crops in the fall after the main crop harvest, this provides cover for the soil and can be an additional income source for the farmer.
Riparian buffers: This term is used to define vegetated lands adjacent to streams. It is very important to have vegetation lining stream banks, to serve as a filter, flood control, and bank stabilization.
Rotational grazing: By moving animal herds from one pasture to another throughout the year, pastures are allowed to recoup and all land impacts from herds are minimized. Please visit the Southwest Project Grass site to learn more about this method!
Manure Management: This practice efficiently manages a farm's manure by balancing application rates with the nutrient needs of a field, as well as makes a plan to properly store manure in the meantime. Learn more about handling manure effectively here.

Conservation District Assistance to Farmers

The Conservation District office is here to aid farmers in implementing sustainable practices on their farms. By offering training, conferences, contacts, grant resources, and expertise, the District works to keep Indiana County farmers producing great products, while protecting the land for years to come!
Our technicians can help develop written grazing plans and provide insight into farm specific ways of increasing productivity through rotational grazing.
Our office also offers financial assistance to farmers for the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) associated with a manure management plan, nutrient management plan, conservation plan, or Ag E&S Plan. This funding is provided through the Indiana County Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program. If you are interested in learning more about our program, please contact our office.

Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP)

Do you have a farm project that needs funding?

The Indiana County Conservation District is administering the ACAP program to assist Indiana County farmers with installing best management practices on their farm. Projects can range in scope and include a variety of practices including riparian buffers, heavy use areas, grazing systems, cover crops, access road improvements, and many more.

Who is Eligible?

Any person or legal entity that has legal of financial responsibility for one of the following:

An agricultural operation in which they are engaged; or
Property on which an agricultural operation takes place.

What is an Eligible Project?

The implementation of a Best Management Practice (BMP) or combination of BMPs, identified in an agricultural operation’s agricultural erosion and sediment control plan, conservation plan, manure management plan, or nutrient management plan, which is necessary to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution from the agricultural operation and meets the criteria established by the State Conservation Commission. For a list of eligible BMPs, please click here.

What are Eligible Costs?

Project design, engineering and associated planning, project management costs, including contracting, document preparation and applications; project construction and installation; equipment and materials; post-construction inspections and any other cost as deemed appropriate by the State Conservation Commission. Grants are capped at $250,000 per applicant.

How do I Apply?

The first step to applying for the program is to set up a pre-application visit with our ACAP Coordinator, Alexis Shank. She will discuss the program and application requirements with you to make sure that you have everything you need to submit a successful application. Click here to contact us.

Below are the various forms and additional instructions necessary to submit a grant application for the ACAP program:

Erosion and Sediment Control Plans Vs. Conservation Plans

PA’s Chapter 102 regulations have existed since 1972. The scope and purpose of these regulations are to require persons proposing or conducting earth disturbance activities to develop, implement and maintain Best Management Practices (BMPs) to minimize the potential for accelerated erosion and sedimentation and to manage post construction stormwater.
A conservation plan is a tool farmers can use to satisfy Ch. 102 requirements, by planning management practices on their farm. Conservation plans, free of cost, utilize farming methods that are most beneficial to the environment and to the farming operation. They are site specific, as planning includes creating detailed farm maps and having soil analyses done. These plans are made with the help of local Natural Resources Conservation Service representatives, at no cost to the farmer. When the plan targets making changes that are costly to implement, the NRCS and other local ag agencies (like the Conservation District) work with the farmer to find federal, state, and local cost-sharing programs.
An Erosion and Sediment Control Plan (E&S Plan), is similar to a conservation plan, but is used by developers when disturbing more than one acre of land. Again, an E&S Plan is site specific, and notes where developers will limit erosion by a variety of methods. More on the E&S Plan can be found under the Earth Disturbance Stream Encroachment tab on the left side of the screen.
PA’s Chapter 102 (Erosion and Sediment Control and Stormwater Management) regulations have existed since 1972. On November 19, 2010, additions and changes to the regulations took effect. All farms are required to develop and implement a written plan to reduce erosion when plowing and tilling (includes no-till cropping) and Animal Heavy Use Areas (AHUAs) disturbing more than 5000 sq ft.

The main changes made in the 2010 additions include:

Ch. 102 always stated plowing and tilling needs a conservation plan; now AHUAs (Animal Heavy Use Areas) also must be covered by the conservation or Ag E&S Plan.
Areas within 100 feet of a stream must maintain a minimum 25% plant cover/crop residue or implement additional BMPs.

Animal Operations

What kind of operation are you?

There are three classifications of animal operations. CAFO=Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, CAO=Concentrated Animal Operation, and AO=Animal Operation. Classification is determined by the size of your herd and acres of crop fields. To determine what your farm is considered, go through this quick worksheet, found here.

Do you need a Nutrient Management Plan?

What is nutrition management? Nutrient management involves the efficient use of manure and fertilizer nutrients to meet but not exceed crop needs. The goal of proper nutrient management is to maximize crop yields without over-applying nutrients, thus reducing unnecessary fertilizer costs and protecting surface and ground water from nutrient pollution. Nutrient management plans provide field-specific manure and fertilizer application rates, as well as solutions to any storm water or manure management issues that may exist on the farm. Farms defined as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) AND concentrated animal operations (CAOs) are required by Pennsylvania’s Nutrient Management Act (Act 38) to develop and implement a nutrient management plan (NMP). A CAO is any farm having more than 2,000 pounds of live animal weight, on an annualized basis, per acre of ground where crops are harvested. Individuals can become certified to write their own nutrient management plans or they can have a plan developed by a certified commercial nutrient management planner. For farms that produce less manure than is needed to meet their crop needs, a plan can be especially useful for prioritizing which fields most need the limited manure that is available. Soil testing and good records on crop yields are at the heart of an effective nutrient management program. Even for farms that don’t develop full plans, soil testing is a must for determining nutrient and lime needs. Soil test kits are available for purchase through Penn State’s Agricultural Analytical Services Lab.

What is the District’s role in Pennsylvania’s Nutrient Management Program?

When a commercial nutrient management specialist develops a NMP for an agricultural operation in Indiana County, the plan is submitted to the District for review. The District’s Nutrient Management Specialist reviews the plan for administrative completeness, and performs a technical review to ensure that all requirements of Act 38 have been met. The plan is then brought before the Conservation District Board of Directors for approval. The District also educates the local agricultural community on the benefits of nutrient management, and works to resolve manure-related complaints.

Is there funding available to assist with the cost of NMP development?

At times funds are available through The Plan Development Incentives Program (PDIP) and can reimburse up to 75% of the cost of developing a NMP. When funds are available it will be posted on our home page.
For comprehensive statewide information on regulations, certification, training information, educational resources, technical resources, and financial assistance go to the PA Nutrient Management Program Interagency Website.

Do you need a Manure Management Plan?

What is the Manure Management Plan? Beginning November 2011, DEP requires every farm in PA that land applies manure or agricultural process wastewater, regardless of size, to have and implement a written Manure Management Plan (MMP). This includes manure and agricultural process wastewater application by various types of equipment and/or direct application of manure by animals on pastures and in ACAs. In other words, farms that do not mechanically apply manure but which do have pastures or ACAs still need a MMP.

Who can write the Plan? MMPs can be prepared by the farmer although the farmer may benefit from technical assistance from certified nutrient management specialists, certified manure brokers and haulers, NRCS staff, Penn State University staff, farm organizations, or the County Conservation District. For assistance from the Indiana County Conservation District Nutrient Management Specialist, at (724) 471-4751, ext. 4.

DEP has developed a MMP Workbook for farmers to use that contains instructions and forms to complete to develop the plan. Once completed, the Workbook will become the farm’s MMP which must be implemented.

What is in the Plan? The Plan is broken into seven sections. The first four are required by all farmers regardless of size, and the last 3 are needed if they apply to the farmer:

General Information: General information about the farm.
Mechanical Manure Application Rate and Timing: Documents manure application rates and timing for mechanical application of manure.
Farm Map: Provides a farm map identifying the location of fields, structures, environmentally sensitive areas and manure application setbacks. This section is always required in a manure management plan.
Record Keeping: Provides a description of required recordkeeping and provides forms that can be used for record keeping.
Managing Manure Storage in Structures and Stockpiling/Stacking Areas: Only necessary if the farm has a manure storage facility or stockpiles or stacks manure.
Pasture Management: Only necessary if the farm has one or more pasture fields.
Animal Concentration Areas: Only necessary if the farm has one or more ACAs (such as barnyards, feedlots, animal exercise areas).

Where can I get a Plan? The Manure Management Plan and the Manure Management Plan Workbook are both available online at the Pennsylvania Nutrient Management Program website, found here. Hard copies of the Plan and Workbook are available at the Conservation District.

The Manure Management Plan and the Manure Management Plan Workbook are both available online at the Pennsylvania Nutrient Management Program website, found here.
There are also hard copies of the Plan and Workbook available at the Conservation District.

Biosolids

Biosolids are not raw sewage. Biosolids are those wastewater solids that have been treated to produce fertilizers or soil amendments. Typically, biosolids are used in areas such as agriculture, landscaping and mine reclamation to promote plant growth and soil regeneration.

Information on Biosolids can be reviewed on the DEP website by clicking here.

Farmland Preservation

The Indiana County Farmland Easement Board administers the Indiana County Farmland Preservation Program. The Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program, commonly referred to as Farmland Preservation, identifies properties and slows the loss of prime farmland to non-agricultural uses. It enables state, county and local governments to purchase conservation easements, also called development rights, from owners of quality farmland.

Established in 1998, The Indiana County Farmland Easement Board has preserved 1249 acres of farmland on eleven farms for a purchase price of over $2.5 million.

For Information about the Farmland Preservation program, please contact their board of Directors via the contact information below:

Janis Long, President 724-349-9474

David Bork, Board Member 724-388-1335