LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Hundreds of thousands of dollars in conservation grant money is now available for 80 farms across Pennsylvania, including more than 40 poultry farms in Lancaster County in an effort to conserve the local environment.
The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, the main organizer of the funding, is teaming up with Perdue Farms to implement various conservation practices at the company's farms scattered across the Commonwealth.
"The goal is to really clean up the Chesapeake Bay Watershed but most importantly local ecosystems and streams," said Brittany Smith, an agriculture projects manager with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
The partnership began two years ago when Perdue Farms showed interest in investing $300,000 into conservation efforts at their Pa. farms. The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay has since been awarded an additional $1 million from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and continues to apply for other grants through state, federal and other conservation programs.
"It’s actually really important to have a corporate partner at the table because they have flock managers that are out on these farms and have deep relationships with the various farmers," said Smith. "They’re able to introduce and encourage their farmers to do these practices."
The money will fund conservation efforts including manure storage improvements, tree planting and other nature-based practices that will improve water and air quality, lower avian flu transmission and ultimately protect the surrounding environment.
"We take a comprehensive view of the farm," said Smith. "We’re certainly happy to look at that and help them integrate all the different conservation approaches that they can to really make the best foot forward."
The alliance says the funding for these farms comes at a necessary time.
"Farmers are under a lot of pressure to reduce any sort of sediment or nutrients coming off their farm," said Smith. "So, we just help them where they can. This is an unprecedented time where there’s so much funding available for farms to step up their conservation game and really do the right thing for the environment."
Smith adds this is just one small step, as part of a bigger mission to clean up the local area.
"We’re all just doing our part, everybody lives downstream from somebody else," said Smith. "So, we’re just taking small steps in order to clean up our local ecosystems."