November 1, 2021 /

The Lancaster Farmland Trust has a rich history of more than 30 years working with farmers and landowners across Pennsylvania to implement conservation practices, support sustainability, and produce water quality improvements. These landowners will play a significant role in improving the health of Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed into which they feed, so we’ve been partnering with the Lancaster Farmland Trust in our work on the Countywide Action Plans (CAP) for Cumberland, Dauphin, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, and Union Counties.

The Lancaster Farmland Trust is conducting on-site farm visits with landowners to educate them about the CAP initiative and identify new Best Management Practices they can implement on their property. These visits are yielding big results: To date, the Lancaster Farmland Trust has met with more than 100 landowners and has identified 15 new projects that are ready for implementation. These projects are projected to achieve:

All in local streams!  Projects include construction of:

• heavy use area protection
• manure storage facilities
• stream crossings
• streambank fencing for cattle
• riparian buffers and other stormwater management practices

The Lancaster Farmland Trust also refers landowners with a need for conservation or nutrient management plans to their county conservation district for resources and assistance.

We’re happy to work with HRG, supporting the implementation of Countywide Action Plans. Our extensive experience with grant programs and community advocacy in the agricultural sector is the perfect fit for their expertise in municipal planning, financial services, and stormwater control and mitigation. Together, we’re able to deliver a comprehensive package of services that positions counties for implementation success and delivers the best return on investment related to water quality improvement.

– Jeff Swinehart, Chief Operating Officer of the Lancaster Farmland Trust

HRG is excited about the results this partnership is producing and will continue to work with the Lancaster Farmland Trust throughout 2022 to conduct additional farm visits. We’ll also continue to work with the agricultural community to help them take advantage of funding programs that will help them improve their operations while protecting water quality for all Pennsylvanians.