The document outlines the steps involved for farmers to leverage public and private program incentives in agricultural conservation practices. It includes developing farm plans, engaging with various organizations for support, and describes the importance of conservation for improving water quality and farm productivity. The document also discusses intensive grazing systems and provides contact information for agricultural resource professionals.

1. Working with Public/Private Program Incentives
A Farmers Experience

2. “Where to begin” – “Who to Ask” – “ Why is it Important”
Olivia Carlson
Agriculture Resource Conservationist
Berks County Conservation District

3. “Where to begin”
• Develop Farm Plan (Ideal Operation)
– Commodities
• Animals
• Crops
– Farmstead
• Buildings
• Manure Storage
• Roadways/Walkways
• Future Expansion
– Cropland
– Pastureland
– Naturel Resources

4. “Who to Ask”
• Discussion with:
– Fellow Farmers/Landowners
– Agencies/Organizations
– Accountant/Banker/Advisor
Participants

5. “Who to Ask”
• Berks County
Conservation District
• Natural Resources
Conservation Service
• Berks County
Conservancy
• Pen-Vest---Pa. Dept. of
Ag.
• Game Commission

6. • Install Conservation Practices with the Help
of Technical and Financial Support
• Eliminate Resource Concerns
• Improve Water Quality
“ Why is it Important”

7. “My Farm” – “ My Plans” – “Why I Got Involved”

8. “My Farm”
• Albany Township-South of Blue Mountain on
Bethel Road
• 5th Generation Farm
• Potatoes-Dairy-Crop Farm
• Wife- Works Off Farm, Three Children
• 193 Owned Acres
• 25 Rented Acres

9. Future
 90 Acres-Cropland
 78 Acres-Rotational
Grazing Land
 4 Acres Conservation
Land
 40 Cow/Calf Pairs on
Grass
 30 Grass Fed Feeders
Past
 250 Acres Cropland
 23 Acres Continuous
Graze Acres
 22 Acres Seasonal
Pasture
 35 Dairy Cows
“My Farm”

10. “ My Plans”
 Dairy Facility Needed Major Upgrading
 Dairy Farming 365 Day Job
 Milk Price Determine by Big
Companies/Cooperatives Not Supply and Demand
 About 50 Acres of Land to Steep and Shale Soil Not
Great for Crop Production
 Changed from Dairy with Some Continuous Grazing
to Beef Cow/Calf with Feeders on Intensive Grazing
System
 Market Grass Fed Beef Direct

11. “Why I Got Involved”
 Had Some Issues with Stream
 Family Felt That Someday Conservation
Practices Would be Mandatory So Why Not
Accept the Technical and Financial Incentives
 Move into Intensive Grazing

12. “Why I Got Involved”
Concerns
 What You Don’t Know, You Think the Worst
 Organizations Telling You What to Do and
Not Seeing the Farmers’ and Production Side
 Lose Pasture Land Because of Meandering
Stream
 Maintaince Along the Stream with Stream
Bank Fencing

13. “Why I Got Involved”
Pluses
 Financial Incentives for
Practices
 Grazing Benefits-More
Forage, More Milk and
More Meat Per Acre
 Manure Handling
 Improved Stream Quality
 Farm Aesthetics
Drawbacks
 Trash at Crossings
 Finding Calves in Grasses in
the Stream Buffer
 Unwanted Plants in Stream
Buffer(will chop down
every few years)

14. Larry Lloyd
Senior Ecologist
Berks County Conservancy
“The Conservation Practices”

15. Watershed
1,500 Acres

16. “The Conservation Practices”
Forage/Grass/Tree Cover
 Prevents Erosion
 Consumes Nutrients
 Increases Production
 Farm Aesthetics

17. “Forage/Grass/Tree Cover”

18. “Forage/Grass/Tree Cover”

19. “The Conservation Practices”
Surface Water Mediation
 Prevents Erosion
 Consumes Nutrients and Surface Runoff
 Slows Downstream Runoff
Improves Groundwater Recharge
 Farm Aesthetics

20. “Surface Water Mediation”

21. “Surface Water Mediation”

22. “The Conservation Practices”
Stream Bank Erosion
 Soil Loss
 Degrades Wildlife Habitat
 Detracts from Farm Aesthetics

23. Stream Bank
Erosion

24. “The Conservation Practices”
Stream Crossings
 Prevents Erosion
Reduces Animal Contact with Stream
 Stabilizes Animal Crossing
 Allows More Appropriate Animal Watering Site

25. “Stream
Crossings”

26. “Stream Crossings”

27. “Stream Crossings”

28. “Stream Crossings”

29. “The Conservation Practices”
Stream Bank Fencing/Riparian Buffer
 Prevents Stream Bank Erosion
 Filters Nutrients
 Reduces Animal Health Problems
 Improves Wildlife Habitat
 Farm Aesthetics

30. “Stream
Bank
Fencing”

31. “Stream
Bank
Fencing”

32. “Stream Bank Fencing”

33. Riparian Buffer

34. “The Production Practices”
Clyde Myers
Technical Support Specialist
Natural Resources Conservation Service
In
Berks & Schuylkill County’s

35. “The Production Practices”
Intensive Grazing System
 Basics
 Production and/or Exercise
 All land that will be used for
pasture is divided into paddocks
 Animals are rotated around the
paddocks, entering when plant
species reach a height of eight to
ten inches
 Removed when plants are grazed
to three to four inches

36. “The Production Practices”
Intensive Grazing System
 Basics
 Return after re-growth reaches the 8-10
inch height
 Paddock size small enough that all forage
consumed in 3 days or less
 This period will be as short as 15 days in
the spring and as long as 45 days in
summer
 In spring/fall - ½ to 1 acre/ AU
 In summer - 1 1/2 to 2 acres

37. “The Production Practices”
Grazing System-Major Parts
 Land in Pasture
 Fencing
 External Fencing
 Paddock Fencing
 Animal Movement
 Walkway
 Winter
 Water System
 Manure Handling

38. Land in Pasture
 Minimum
 Spring/fall - ½ to 1 acre/ AU
 Summer - 1 1/2 to 2 acres/AU
 Winter and/or Forage Slow Growth
 Rotational Lots
 NRCS
 2 Acres/ AU
“The Production Practices”

39. Land in Pasture

40. Land in Pasture
Rotational
Heavy Use
Area

41. “The Production Practices”
Fencing
 Animal Species
 Electric/Nonelectric
 Exterior - Critical Confinement
 Exclusion
 Walkway
 Stream Bank
 Paddock
 Moveable

42. Fencing

43. Exterior
3 + Electrified
Strands

44. Walkway
2 Strands

45. Stream Bank
Fencing
2 Strands

46. Animal Movement /Walkways
 All Paddocks
 Improved
 Daily Use
 Winter
 Equipment
 Grass
 Weekly Use
“The Production Practices”

47. Improved Walkway
 Depends on soil
 Wet/Equipment
 Minimum 10’ wide
 2 inches minimum of surface material
 2 inches binder
 4 inches base
 Nonwoven geotextile

48. Animal Walkway

49. “The Production Practices”
Water System
 Source – (Well-Spring-Surface)
 Animal Species
 Distance/Topography
 Equipment
 Pump/Gravity
 Pipeline Size (1” – 1 ½”)
 Tub Capacity (100 Gal.)
 Frost Free
 Winter
 Extended Grazing

50. Water System -
Portable Trough

51. Water System -
Crossing Stream

52. Water System -
Pipeline Size
(1” – 1 ½”)

53. Water System –
Frost Free > 30”

54. “The Production Practices”
Manure Handling/Storage
 Solid/Liquid
 Animal Species
 Weight, Number, Time in Confinement
 Time of Year
 Barn/Heavy Use Area (lot)
60% Where Eat & Drink
“Keep Clean Water Clean”

55. Manure Storage/
Handling -
Preconstruction

56. Manure Storage/Handling
 Cemented Barnyard
 Sidewalls for Bedded Pack
 Covered

57. Manure Storage -
Bedded Pack
Manure Storage
 Roof
 Spouting

58. Farm
Grazing
Map

59. Questions? Please Contact Us At:
 Olivia Carlson, Agricultural Resource Conservationist
Berks County Conservation District
1238 County Welfare Road | Suite 200 | Leesport, PA 19533
Olivia.Carlson@berkscd.com
 Larry Lloyd, Senior Ecologist
Berks County Conservancy
25 North 11th Street
Reading, PA 19601
610-372-4992 ext. 112
Larry.lloyd@berks-conservancy.org
 Clyde Myers, NRCS- Technical Support Specialist
Natural Resources Conservation Service
1238 County Welfare Road
Leesport, PA 19533-0520
610-372-4655-115
clyde.myers@pa.usda.gov