On October 11 and 12, 2024, Peaceful Terrain Farm and Thistle Creek Farm in Huntingdon County hosted a two-day grazing event with special guest speaker Dr. Allen Williams. Both farms are working to conserve soil using regenerative/resilient agriculture.

Dr. Williams is a founding partner of Understanding Ag, LLC, and the Soil Health Academy. He pioneered many of the early regenerative grazing protocols and forage finishing techniques and now teaches those practices and principles to farmers globally. Beth Futrick, PA Ombudsman in Blair County, organized the event.

Juniata County Conservation District held a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) tour. Participants learned about installing and maintaining CREP buffers along with program enrollment opportunities. The project cost $1,576 and was paid for through PACD’s CREP Mini-grant Program.

Financial and other support for the CREP Outreach Program Office Mini-grant Program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.

Allegheny County Conservation District (ACCD) is proud to announce it has received funding from both the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program administered through the United States Department of Agriculture. This funding will advance urban agriculture and ACCD’s Urban Soils Program across the region.

This funding enables ACCD to strengthen partnerships with local farmers and community groups to address urban soil contaminants and support farm and garden projects. Over the past eight years, ACCD’s Urban Soils Program has served as a regional model, raising awareness about the health risks of soil lead exposure and providing technical assistance for safe food production. In 2023 alone, ACCD screened 1,592 soil samples, valued at $47,760, free of charge.

This funding will expand soil testing for heavy metals, particularly lead, and implementation and monitoring of best management practices to improve soil health and promote healthy food production.

Click here to read more. 

 

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) selected Allegheny County Conservation District (ACCD) and partners to provide outreach, education, and technical assistance to urban agricultural producers.

This $9 million USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) grant is administered through To Improve Mississippi Economics (TIME) and funds urban farm outreach initiatives in 10 U.S. cities. This grant is part of a broader $40 million investment enabled by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

The funding will support a collaboration among technical service providers to assist urban farmers in learning about and accessing resources. Partners include PASA Sustainable Agriculture, Chatham University, Grow Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, and Hilltop Urban Farm.

ACCD and partners were awarded $894,000, with 38 percent of funding going directly to urban farmers in the form of microgrants to develop critical farm infrastructure. Another percentage supports programs of the partner organizations.

Click here to read more. 

The Bradford County Conservation District and Bradford Solar recently announced their partnership with the launch of a new Renewable Energy Trailer at the Green Jobs Fair at Mount Pisgah State Park.

The Renewable Energy Trailer is an educational tool that will travel around the county to fairs, schools, and community events to teach people about renewable energy. The trailer offers a unique, hands-on experience that will appeal to people of all ages.

At the exclusive event, attendees had the chance to visit the Renewable Energy Trailer and the Bradford Solar vendor booth, where the team answered questions and shared more information about the trailer and the Bradford Solar Project.

On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, the Columbia County Conservation District held its 8th annual Water Education Day at Briar Creek Lake Park in Berwick. About 240 eighth-grade students from three different school districts in Columbia County attended the event. The students rotated through six stations, learning about various aspects of our water sources, water quality, and aquatic ecosystems.

Click here to read more about the event and to see more photos.

The Cumberland County Conservation District recently held its annual awards picnic and board meeting. The district presented four conservation awards for 2024. They were:

• Farmer of the Year – Neil Darhower
• Legislator Recognition Award – Barbara Gleim
• Erosion Control Clean Water Award – Mike Wadel of Wadel-Mell Inc.
• Educator of the Year – Darla Romberger

 

From https://www.iccdpa.org

The Indiana County Conservation District has created a hub to advance specialty crop production in Indiana County. Their grounds house a greenhouse and high-tunnel, raised garden beds, various species of fruit and nut-producing trees and shrubs, and a row of hops.

Products grown on the grounds are used to populate various community gardens in the county, including the Indiana Community Garden, Chevy Chase Community Garden, and community gardens at various county aging services senior centers.

Photo caption: Photo from https://www.facebook.com/iccdpa.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a 2024-year round of funding for Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund projects, with additional funds provided by the William Penn Foundation, AstraZeneca, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Berks County Conservation District will receive $127,000 through the program. The grant will assist forest landowners with enrollment into forest management cost-share programs, improving forest health, habitat for golden-winged warbler, and resiliency in the Kittatinny and Schuylkill Highland conservation landscapes.

Click here to read more. 

The Westmoreland Conservation District celebrated its 75th Anniversary with a Plein Air Paint Out, Reception, Exhibition, and Sale. Local artists were invited to paint scenes around the district’s conservation campus during a three-day period. Fourteen artists submitted 36 pieces of art featuring conservation practices like a pollinator meadow, compost bins, gardens, bee hives, and water features, as well as the district office.

This event was designed to promote the Westmoreland Conservation District’s mission, projects, and programs as it celebrates its 75th Anniversary in 2024.