HARRISBURG, Pa., April 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Marking the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding today praised Pennsylvania's farmers for striving to conserve natural resources and reduce pollution flowing into the state's waterways and the Chesapeake Bay.

During a visit to Chester County, Redding helped plant trees on a stream bank at Mason's Chrome View Dairy in Nottingham and reviewed conservation best management practices in place at the John C. Leo and Son mushroom farm in Oxford. Both operations are in the bay watershed.

"Pennsylvania agriculture plays an important role in feeding our citizens and driving our economy, but our farmers also recognize that they must be good stewards of our precious natural resources," said Redding. "Farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, like those we visited today, strive to be good upstream neighbors and are committed to producing food while protecting the land and water upon which we all rely."  

Forty-two Pennsylvania counties are in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which include four million citizens and 40,000 farms.

"Our state is a key player in bay restoration efforts," Redding added. "The agriculture industry will play a pivotal role in solving the challenges facing the bay. We're helping to do that today, while proving that it is possible to have clean water and viable farms."

Redding explained that Pennsylvania is responsible for more than 50 percent of the Chesapeake Bay's fresh water supply. Accordingly, the state's agriculture industry has stepped up its efforts to reduce run-off pollution through core conservation efforts and best management practices on farms.

As such, Redding said, Pennsylvania's farmers are responsible for 55 percent of the total nitrogen reduction made throughout the watershed by agricultural sources.

The secretary noted that Earth Day is a reminder for producers to take advantage of core conservation practices on their farms, which will improve production, decrease fuel use and protect their farm's resources. These practices include:

• Creating and maintaining a nutrient management plan so resources are not wasted or lost into waterways;
• Planting cover crops to improve soil quality and reduce nitrates from entering groundwater supplies;
• Establishing streamside buffers to reduce non-point source pollution from entering waterways and to prevent farm damage during flood events; and
• Adopting no-till or low-till planting methods for healthier soil and better production.

Redding said another way to protect Pennsylvania's natural resources is to preserve its farmland. At nearly 434,000 acres on almost 4,000 farms, Pennsylvania farmland preservation program leads the nation. The Mason family farm is preserved so future generations can protect the state's natural resources and continue farming.

Joining Redding were Ann Mills, USDA deputy undersecretary for Natural Resources Conservation Service; the Chester County Conservation District; USDA Farm Service Agency; and the Octorara Native Plant Nursery, which donated the trees.

For more information about conservation in Pennsylvania, visit www.agriculture.state.pa.us  and choose "Bureaus, Commissions & Councils" and select "State Conservation Commission" or "Farmland Preservation."

Media contacts: Justin Fleming, 717-787-5085

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

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http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us