Center for Ag Conservation Assistance Training Enlists Engineering Firm

The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training, administered by Penn State Extension, has contracted with Herbert, Rowland & Grubic Inc., an infrastructure consulting firm operating in Pennsylvania and surrounding states with more than 60 years of experience in civil engineering and a reputation for innovative water quality solutions.

This partnership is aimed at boosting the conservation workforce’s capacity to implement best management practices, ultimately improving and protecting soil health and water quality in Pennsylvania. The firm will assist in establishing certification requirements, providing training, and supervising certified conservation professionals for the installation of projects statewide.

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences established the center in 2023 in partnership with the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“Our new center is enthusiastically working alongside our conservation partners in the state to continue making it easier for farmers to take advantage of the programs that can benefit their farm operations and support their commitment to environmental stewardship, soil health and water quality,” said Jennifer Fetter, Penn State Extension water resources program leader and director of the center.

Bringing an engineer on board will enhance the implementation of conservation projects by increasing workforce capacity and addressing this bottleneck. Fetter pointed to a system called job approval authority, inspired by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this system, employees undergo training and work with engineers to demonstrate competence. As they advance, they gain job approval authority, allowing them to certify projects. The goal is to replicate this system for state-funded projects in Pennsylvania.

“We’re helping the University develop a certification program for conservation professionals that will simultaneously create much-needed capacity for projects and create a promising career path for people passionate about conservation,” said Erin Letavic, project manager at Herbert, Rowland & Grubic. “We’ll use our engineering expertise to review work completed by program participants and guide them toward technical competency.”

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