NEWS YOU CAN USE ~ OCTOBER 2, 2018
A monthly collection of recent news, upcoming events, and articles of interest
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“Lay of the Land: Healthy Soils, Healthy Water" Film Premiere
As part of its constant effort to share the benefits of no-till and cover crop practices, the PA No-Till Alliance invites you to celebrate Lancaster Ag Week – October 6-13 – by joining us for a free film premiere on Thursday, October 11 at the Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster (328 West Orange Street).
The 26-minute documentary film, Lay of the Land: Healthy Soils, Healthy Water, produced by Natural Light Films of Lancaster, tells about how local farmers are growing better crops while protecting water quality. No-Till Alliance members in the film are shown using and discussing no-till techniques, how and why they work, and the soil health and water quality improvement that results.
The premiere is free to attend, however, RSVPs are appreciated and may be provided at
www.stroudcenter.org/events
. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a reception, followed by the film at 7 p.m. The event will conclude with a panel discussion from 7:30 – 8 p.m.
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Alliance Members Receive Discounted Registration Fee at the National No-Till Conference
As a benefit of membership, all members of the Alliance may attend the National No-Till Conference at a reduced registration fee. The 2019 conference will be held January 8-11 in Indianapolis, IN and the theme is "Pathways to Higher No-Till Profits." It will include twelve general sessions, 23 no-till 'classrooms' and 80 roundtables on a variety of topics. The regular registration fee is $339, but members may register for $279, a $50 savings. Full information on the conference is available at
www.no-tillfarmer.com/NNTC
.
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Winter Soil Health Meetings Scheduled - Double the Education in 2019!
Instead of a single winter soil health meeting, the Board of Directors has decided in order to better serve our members and other interested parties in western Pennsylvania, 2019 will feature two FREE soil health meetings:
- February 25 at the Trinity Point Church of God in Clarion, PA (note: this date is different than previously announced.)
- February 26 at Shady Maple Smorgasbord in East Earl, PA
The keynote speaker will be Loran Steinlager, well-known cutting-edge no-till and cover crop farmer from Iowa. Mark your calendars NOW, and watch future newsletters for more details on the program and how to register.
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2019 No-Till Alliance Membership Renewals Now Available
In early November, membership renewal forms will be mailed to all members. However, if you want to get an early start, just use the form below.
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4R Nutrient Stewardship Field Day - October 4
The PA 4R Alliance will host a
Nutrient Stewardship Field Day
at the Growmark Research Farm located at the Milton Hershey School Farm. The event is free of charge, but RSVP is required. Lunch is provided. CCA and NM CEUs will be available. This event is open to farmers, agribusinesses, legislators, conservation groups, and anyone interested in learning more about 4R nutrient management technologies.
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Keystone Crops and Soils Conference - Oct 23 – 24
Time once again for the annual Keystone Crops and Soils Conference, Tuesday, October 23 - Wednesday, October 24 at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg-Hershey in Grantville, PA.
This continuing education focused conference brings together those engaged in agronomic and nutrient management consulting with the goal of providing the most up-to-date information affecting Pennsylvania’s crop farmers. Stay tuned for registration information to be available soon! Interested in sponsoring the event?
Click here
to download a sponsorship form.
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Heard it through the Grapevine
If you’ve heard it through the grapevine, it must be true! Actually, a lot of what comes “through the grapevine” in the agricultural world DOES hold merit. Many people who raise livestock and/or crops appreciate hearing accounts of firsthand experience from other farmers or graziers. Does it work? Is it worth the effort? What would you do differently?
Would you like to hear it through the grapevine, too? Tune in to
The Grazier’s Grapevine
! The Pennsylvania Grazing Lands Coalition (GLC), with generous support from the National Wildlife Federation’s Cover Crop Champions Program, is producing podcasts related to grazing and soil health.
The first podcast is an introduction to technical assistance and cost sharing programs available through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The second podcast is a discussion between the hostess, Jenn Albright, and Monica Pape, the Accidental Agronomist. Jen and Monica discuss the differences between soil health and soil fertility, as they relate to cover cropping and grazing. To learn more about Monica and her work, check out:
www.theaccidentalagronomist.com/about/
.
The third podcast features Annie Basehore-Starbard, who has decades of experience with dairy goat management. Jenn and Annie discuss fencing, foraging, silvopasture and the art of cheesemaking.
For questions, to submit topic ideas, or for a direct link to
The Graziers Grapevine
podcasts in Pennsylvania, go to
www.paglc.org
.
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Chesapeake Bay Program Releases Best Management Practices Guide
The Chesapeake Bay Program released a "Quick Reference Guide for Best Management Practices." This 120 page guide distills information about the Bay Program's hundreds of approved best management practices (BMPs) into fact sheets for farmers, landowners, planners, resource managers and conservation districts.
This BMP guide not only gives basic information about each of the Chesapeake Bay Program-approved BMPs, but also explains how the six Bay states-Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia-and the District of Columbia can receive credit for them in the Bay Program's Watershed Model. The six states and D.C. can receive credit toward meeting their pollution reduction goals under the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (Bay TMDL) when these BMPs are implemented, verified, and reported for input to the Watershed Model.
Knowing how BMPs are credited in the model is useful for state and local officials putting together Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs). The six states and D.C. develop WIPs, in consultation with local governments, in order to plan how they will reduce nutrient and sediment pollution in order to meet goals laid out in the Bay TMDL.
Click
here
to view the guide.
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Small Business Advantage Grant
$1 million of grant funding is available to Pennsylvania farmers and small businesses for pollution prevention, energy efficiency, and natural resource protection projects through the
Small Business Advantage grants
. For the first time, grants will be available to farmers and ranchers for projects that reduce and prevent pollution on working lands.
Applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis, and will be accepted until fiscal year 2018-19 funds are exhausted, or April 12, 2019, whichever occurs first.
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Thank You Alliance Sponsors
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Each year, a number of sponsors step-up to partner with the Alliance in fulfilling our mission to promote the successful application of no-till through shared ideas, experiences, education, and new technology. Without their invaluable support, the Alliance would not be able to have the success it enjoys. Thank you to those who have renewed or initiated new sponsorships for 2018:
Gold Sponsors
Stroud Water Research Center
Univest Bank and Trust
Silver Sponsors
AgChoice Farm Credit
DuPont Pioneer
Gro-Mor Plant Food Co.
Lancaster Farming
MM Weaver and Sons
Melvin R. Weaver Crop Protection
Bronze Sponsors
American Dairy Association North East
Binkley & Hurst, LP
King's AgriSeeds
TeamAg, Inc.
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Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance
2215 Forest Hills Drive, Suite 39, Harrisburg, PA 17112
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