As part of an ongoing effort to promote soil and water conservation on farms, Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has launched the Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training in partnership with the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The new center, which will be coordinated by Penn State Extension, is aimed at helping Pennsylvania farmers, agricultural landowners and conservation professionals implement best practices, meet appropriate technical qualifications for those practices, leverage funding and partnerships, and ensure the health of land and water in communities.
“Penn State has a long history of partnering with state agencies, USDA and the agricultural community to research and disseminate best practices that will help producers to protect our water and soils,” said Rick Roush, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences. “This new center will provide a focal point for the kinds of technical assistance farmers need so they can adopt science-based conservation measures that can enhance water quality and soil health, which is a high priority for the college.”
The center is funded by the State Conservation Commission through its new Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program, which was created through the Clean Streams Fund established in the fiscal 2022-23 state budget.
“The Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program provides historic funding for Pennsylvania farmers to install conservation practices on farms,” said Doug Wolfgang, executive secretary of the commission. “Farmers are some of the best stewards of the land and want to improve water quality and soil health, while making farms more productive and sustainable for future generations. The center will be instrumental in building the technical assistance capacity that is needed to carry out this important work.”
Additional support is provided by USDA-NRCS through its Conservation Technical Assistance Program.
“The new center will ensure consistent training for NRCS, conservation district and nongovernmental employees,” said Denise Coleman, USDA-NRCS state conservationist. “It will also assure all conservation practice implementation meets a quality standard.”
The center’s mission is to increase the capacity to deliver conservation training and technical assistance so that agricultural conservation professionals can meet the demand of farmers and forest landowners who seek to address natural resource concerns such as water quality and soil loss while promoting productive farming.
Penn State Extension, USDA-NRCS and the State Conservation Commission all currently are seeking to fill a variety of positions related to the center. Penn State Extension water resources team leader, Jennifer Fetter, has been named the center’s interim director.
“Our center is dedicated to promoting best practices in Pennsylvania and utilizing funding from sources such as government agencies and nongovernmental organizations,” Fetter said. “However, selecting and designing these conservation practices requires technical expertise currently in short supply. Our goal is to provide the training and technical assistance to fill this gap.”
Fetter explained that the center will offer a wide variety of training and support for producers and conservation professionals. Like Penn State Extension and its partners, the center’s team will be spread across Pennsylvania for easy access to all parts of the commonwealth. She noted that this approach will enable team members to conduct site visits, provide on-the-job training, and assist farmers and conservation professionals throughout the state. It also allows the center to leverage the vast expertise and resources across Penn State Extension’s programs.
“One of our main goals is to improve ag literacy in the conservation professional community,” Fetter said. “Many conservation professionals lack agricultural backgrounds. As a result, they may not know much about farms and rural landscapes. Penn State Extension is known for providing excellent ag literacy education, and we aim to continue this mission at the new center.”
Source: psu.edu
Photo Credit: istock-shansekala
Categories: Pennsylvania, Sustainable Agriculture