Inaugural ACAP Ag Conservation Con Recap

The Inaugural ACAP Ag Conservation Con wrapped up on June 6, 2024, at Toftrees Resort in State College, PA. The three-day conference was tailored for individuals working in agricultural conservation and opening day presentations included program updates from the State Conservation Commission (SCC), USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA NRCS), and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP). Attendees attended breakout sessions covering a variety of topics relevant to the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) and other conservation practices. The capstone session on "Silvopasturing to Expand and Enhance Grazing in the Northeast" was delivered by Brett Chedzoy from Cornell Cooperative Extension.

There were several field trip opportunities on day two and were taken advantage of by most of the attendees. They had options of a non-traditional agriculture and conservation tour, an ACAP conservation practice tour, an anaerobic manure digestor and nutrient management technology tour, a tour of livestock facilities at Penn State, and a stone quarry tour.

HRG, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Mowery Environmental LLC, Farm Credit, Weaver Environmental Consulting, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, Team Ag Inc, and Larson Design Group were generous sponsors of the event and were showcased at the sponsor reception held on the first evening, providing attendees the opportunity to visit sponsors and network with other participants from around the Commonwealth. An entertaining session of Ag Conservation Trivia was well attended, with top teams receiving prizes for each round, as well as a grand prize of a large basket full of goodies for the overall team winner.

Following a return from the illuminating field trips on the second day, another networking opportunity with hors d'oeuvres was followed by a banquet and awards ceremony. There were enlightening speeches by the PA Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, SCC Director Doug Wolfgang, SCC Director of Financial & Technical Assistance Programs Justin Challenger, and Director of the Penn State Extension Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training Jennifer Fetter. Awards bestowed at the banquet included The Inaugural Karl Brown Award for Conservation Leadership, Future Conservationist, Conservation District Team Collaboration, Partnership Award, Innovative ACAP Project, and ACAP MVP. A Best ACAP Photo Award was presented on the final day.

The recipient of the Karl Brown Award for Conservation Leadership was Karl Brown. The Clean Streams Fund was created by the legislature and signed by the Governor as part of the FY 22/23 budget, with $154 million dedicated to the new Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP), for best management practices (BMPs) on farms. It is a historic investment in conservation in Pennsylvania. This would not have been possible without the leadership of Karl Brown, Executive Secretary of the State Conservation Commission. Karl utilized his expertise to demonstrate the need for funding to steward this significant public investment. He and the Commission staff showed the necessity for agriculture BMPs through collaboration with many stakeholder groups and members of legislature. A looming deadline spurred Karl and his staff to swiftly schedule coordination meetings with PA DEP, numerous stakeholder groups, and conservation district directors during the project, to encumber funds in 2024 and spend funds by 2026. It was a skillful roll-out of a major program in a short timeframe that would not have occurred without his leadership. Karl also envisioned and created the concept for the Center for Ag Conservation Assistance Training to build capacity in the short and long term for technical assistance necessary to design and implement BMPs on farms.

Ms. Maya Gall was the recipient of The Future Conservationist Award for her commitment to conservation practices at an early age, who loves nature, and works hard to take care of our planet by practicing and promoting conservation to others. Presenter Jennifer Fetter noted that Maya was a key editor and critic of Jenn's children’s book "Brooke Meets a Stream Doctor."

The Lancaster County Conservation District received The Conservation District Team Collaboration Award. Through extensive collaboration and cooperation, the 17-member ag team was able to allocate Lancaster's 3-year, $15 million-dollar award to fund 67 projects, in a little less than 18 months. Lancaster's Ag Team has always shown professionalism and dedication toward addressing agricultural resource concerns, but the ACAP program has allowed them to demonstrate, at another level, their shared stewardship ethic and high standard for serving the community.

The ACAP Partnership Award was presented to Team Ag for demonstrating successful teamwork and collaboration on ACAP projects. With more than 25 ACAP projects being prepared and supported across ten counties, TeamAg partners with conservation districts, NRCS, local producers, and many others to make conservation a success.

The Innovative ACAP project award recipient was the Wyoming County Conservation District. The Award was given for a project that showcased inspired and innovative thinking to solve resource concerns while utilizing ACAP funds for the installation of Best Management Practices. The Wyoming County Conservation District used ACAP funds to establish a 16-acre multi-functional buffer at Two Fold Farm + Studio, a vegetable operation in Tunkhannock. The project included establishing over seventy varied species of trees and shrubs to prevent sediment runoff from entering Bowman Creek while providing additional income-producing crops for the operation. The operators, Jordan Delzell and Jay Jadick will be establishing an additional four acres of buffer to further improve the environmental impact of this project.

The ACAP MVP Award was presented to Tracey Crawford, Crawford County Conservation District. Distinguishing herself through hard work and dedication towards addressing agricultural resource concerns utilizing the ACAP program and funding, Tracey demonstrated her effectiveness in communicating with partners and building trust with her community. Tracey fostered early talks with her staff, board members, and other conservation partners like NRCS and fellow conservation districts. These were seemingly small, but critical steps in ensuring the program's success in Crawford County. Her foresight to consider how this program would affect the district's day-to-day operations opened the door for the creation of a new position at the district, which, in turn, made for a smooth transition as Crawford County dove head-first into the foreign world of ACAP. Tracey also facilitated the creation of the Crawford County ACAP Committee and a monthly meeting schedule to review and discuss applications. Her knowledge of the needs of the local farming community and the rolling basis of the review process were instrumental in helping ag producers get ACAP projects, like heavy-use areas, watering systems, and livestock fencing, off the ground as quickly as possible.

The Best ACAP Photo Award winner was Mark Jackson from Westmoreland Conservation District. The award was chosen by vote of the conference attendees. Five photographs were submitted, and the Westmoreland County photograph received the most votes.

Congratulations to all recipients of the first annual ACAP Ag Conservation Con Awards. The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training would like to thank all the participants for attending and providing valuable feedback which will be taken into consideration for future conference planning. Thanks is also owed to the outstanding presenters for their time and willingness to share their knowledge with the goal of promoting conservation efforts throughout Pennsylvania, and to the field trip hosts for graciously opening their businesses up for the conference attendees.