{"id":10648,"date":"2021-04-26T14:15:43","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T18:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pfb.com\/?p=10648"},"modified":"2025-08-07T09:33:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T09:33:28","slug":"pennsylvania-farm-bureau-calls-on-general-assembly-to-strengthen-farm-conservation-partnerships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nustreamdesigns.xyz\/pfb\/pennsylvania-farm-bureau-calls-on-general-assembly-to-strengthen-farm-conservation-partnerships\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Calls on General Assembly to Strengthen Farm Conservation Partnerships"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Calls on General Assembly to Strengthen Farm Conservation Partnerships<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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MEDIA CONTACT:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liam Migdail, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
717-724-9425<\/strong><\/a> | <\/strong>Email<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

For Immediate Release: April 26, 2021<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

HELLAM TWP. \u2014 Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) is urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to adopt legislation that would expand opportunities for farmers to partner with conservation district staff in their communities on locally focused projects that protect natural resources and improve water quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a news conference today at Flinchbaugh\u2019s Orchard & Farm Market in Hellam Township, York County, PFB voiced support for Senate Bill 465. The legislation would create a new Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP), providing funding and technical support to expand on-farm conservation practices throughout Pennsylvania, including high-priority areas such as the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs stewards of the land, Pennsylvania farmers know that protecting the environment and natural resources is vital to the success and future of our farms and communities,\u201d said PFB President Rick Ebert, a farmer from Westmoreland County. \u201cFarmers in the Keystone State have been leaders in implementing practices to improve water quality, but we know there is more to be done. Many of the investments needed are too costly for farms to afford on our own, especially in a difficult farm economy. Senate Bill 465 would provide much needed support for farmers to work with our conservation partners to grow our conservation efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ebert was joined at the news conference by state Sen. Gene Yaw, the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 465; Shannon Gority, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation\u2019s Pennsylvania office; and host farmer Andrew Flinchbaugh, who is a leader in farm conservation work and was one of several farmers who helped advise the development of Pennsylvania\u2019s plan to meet federally mandated goals for reducing nutrient and sediment pollution in the Chesapeake Bay by 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAgriculture is looked to for significant reductions to meet pollution reduction goals for the Chesapeake Bay and other major watersheds in the state,\u201d Yaw said. \u201cNevertheless, almost one-third of our commonwealth\u2019s streams do not meet standards for drinking, fishing or recreation, and agriculture remains one of the largest sources of impairment. To meet the challenges, I have again introduced legislation to establish an Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t met a farmer that didn\u2019t want to leave the farm better than when they found it. Increasingly, farmers want conservation to be part of their legacy,\u201d Gority said. \u201cWe all want agriculture to succeed, and farmers can succeed with the right amount of resources and technical assistance to finish the job. Our economy, health, heritage, and quality of life depend on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposed ACAP would work similarly to the State Conservation Commission\u2019s Dirt and Gravel Roads program. Funding would be distributed to county conservation districts throughout the commonwealth using a formula that benefits all parts of the state while directing additional resources to areas with the greatest opportunity for improvement. Conservation districts would then partner with farmers and landowners in their communities to complete the conservation projects that make the most sense locally. The bill allows the program\u2019s funding to come from multiple sources, including federal and state dollars and private investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe strategies I use to protect water quality on my farm in the Ohio River Watershed aren\u2019t necessarily the same practices that would be most beneficial here in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed,\u201d Ebert continued. \u201cThe ACAP puts decision making in the hands of the people who know best which conservation practices would have the most benefit in their communities: Local farmers and conservation leaders. This locally focused approach will help ensure that our state\u2019s investments in water quality will be as effective as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is the state\u2019s largest farm organization, representing farms of every size and commodity across Pennsylvania.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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PFB President Rick Ebert speaks at a York County news conference calling for the General Assembly to pass legislation to support on-farm conservation efforts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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State Sen. Gene Yaw, prime sponsor of Senate Bill 465, explains how the legislation would help farmers expand conservation efforts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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News Conference Video<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
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