PACD partnered with Water Words That Work to offer farmer focus groups and interviews across Pennsylvania to discuss the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). The goal was to learn how we can successfully deliver the program and gain more interest in CREP.
On June 24, 2021, a virtual presentation was offered to partners to discuss the results. To view the presentation of the results, click here. Click here for the written report.
Since January, PACD has partnered with Water Words That Work, LLC to offer farmer focus groups and interviews across the state to learn how we can improve and gain more interest in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Join us for a presentation on the findings of the series of focus groups and interviews with Pennsylvania farmers about the CREP program on June 24, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. Register for the meeting here.
Please contact Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org with questions.
Financial and other support for this project is provided through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.
As part of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Outreach Program Office, PACD and CREP Program Partners will offer a CREP Partner Training Webinar Series to all partner staff involved in the program. Registration is free and required. Click on the webinars below for more information and to register.
CREP Partner Training Part 1: How the CREP Program Works
May 27, 2021 | 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Audience: Newer employees with little experience working with CREP
CREP Partner Training Part 2: CREP Practices and Technical Guidance
June 3, 2021 | 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Audience: New and experienced CREP partner staff
CREP Partner Training Part 3: Working with Landowners and Building Relationships
June 10, 2021 | 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Audience: New and experienced CREP partner staff
Contact Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org with questions.
Financial and other support for the CREP Partner Training is provided through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.
Pennsylvania’s county conservation districts were awarded $2,500 for projects in three counties for the 2021 Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Mini-Grants. Conservation districts will use these grants to work with landowners to prevent pollution in our streams, lakes, and rivers. Projects will take place until June 2021 and will be virtual events or mailings.
The following conservation districts were awarded up to $1,000 as part of the 2021 CREP mini-grant round:
Cameron $500
Indiana $1,000
Lycoming $1,000
Projects include postcards, brochures, fact sheets, webinars, and videos. Participants can ask questions about the CREP program and learn how to maintain land already in the program.
The CREP Outreach Program Office Mini-grant Program is provided by PACD through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Additional support is provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Click here for more information on the CREP program: https://www.creppa.org. You can also follow CREP on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/creppa.org.
PACD is accepting mini-grant applications up to $1,000 (increased from $500) to implement virtual educational and outreach activities that support and extend the work of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Projects should focus on CREP enrollment, re-enrollment and/or CREP maintenance.
The application deadline is April 9, 2021.
Project examples include virtual meetings or workshops, educational videos, educational publications, postcards, and fact sheets.
The guidelines and application for the new CREP mini-grant program for conservation districts are posted here. Questions should be directed to Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org.
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.
As part of the CREP Outreach Program Office, PACD is working with Water Words That Work to offer another round of farmer focus groups throughout the PA portion of the Delaware and Ohio Watersheds. Our local farmers’ input is extremely valuable in helping us understand how to successfully deliver the CREP program so that it meets the needs of landowners. Please help us promote these focus groups to farmers in the Ohio and Delaware areas of the state.
All farmers who participate will receive $125 in return for their time.
Focus Groups will be held for the Delaware Watershed are:
Focus Groups will be held for the Ohio Watershed are:
Registration is limited to 12 farmers per focus group meeting on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org with questions.
PACD is now accepting mini-grant applications for up to $500 to implement virtual educational and outreach activities that support and extend the work of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Projects should focus on CREP enrollment, re-enrollment, and/or CREP maintenance.
The guidelines and application for the new CREP mini-grant program for conservation districts are posted here. Questions should be directed to PACD Program Manager Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org.
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.
PACD seeks input from farmers and agricultural landowners from the Pennsylvania portion of the Ohio River Watershed about the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on February 9 and 11, 2021. Farmers can participate in these discussions whether or not they have enrolled land in the program.
Please share this information with your farmer contacts in the Ohio Watershed.
All farmers who participate in the virtual focus group will receive $125 in return for their time. Registration is limited to 15 qualified farmers on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you are farming 50 acres of more, please register for the focus group on February 9 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.: https://bit.ly/pacd-oh-1
If you are farming less than 50 acres, please register for the focus group on February 11 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.: https://bit.ly/pacd-oh-2
Note: Conservation district staff, directors, and associate directors are not eligible to participate.
Questions? Contact PACD Director of Communications & Education Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.
As part of the work PACD performs for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Outreach Program Office, staff recently added a Spanish translation option to the www.creppa.org website. Users can view the website in Spanish by clicking on the Mexican flag in the upper right corner of the website. The PDF files linked on the site are currently only available in English, but the USDA Farm Service Agency is working on providing Spanish translated versions.
With this update, more farmers will be able to access information on the CREP 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.
The Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) was awarded a $2,500 grant through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Outreach Program Office (administered by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts).
The grant funds were used to hold a community tree planting event on November 9, 2019. At the event, 20 volunteers helped to plant 130 trees on 0.6 acres. As part of the event, BCCD staff provided education on how to plant a forested riparian buffer, the environmental benefits, financial programs available, and required maintenance for the buffers to succeed.
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.
Click here to read the entire article.