Nov 4, 2014 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Greene County farmers and landowners interested in improving equipment or waterways may be eligible for tax credits through the Pennsylvania Resource Enhancement and Protection program, which currently has $5 million in credits still available.

REAP provides tax credits to agricultural producers who install best management practices or make on-farm no-till equipment purchases that will reduce soil erosion and sedimentation in Pennsylvania’s streams and rivers. Landowners who are interested in stream restoration projects and/or riparian buffers are also eligible to apply for tax credits.

“When Pennsylvania invests in ways that conserve our soils and improve our waterways, it benefits our land as well as our neighbors downstream,” said Agriculture Secretary George Greig. “Our work will pay dividends by rebuilding a healthier environment for future generations of Pennsylvanians.”

Producers may receive tax credits of up to $150,000 per agricultural operation for 50-75 percent of the total project cost. Projects most commonly approved are for no-till planting equipment, waste storage facilities, protecting heavy animal-use areas like barnyards and nutrient management plans. Farmers can use the credits incrementally for up to 15 years to pay their state income tax, or they can elect to sell the credits.

Stream restoration and streambank buffers bring back wildlife habitat, prevent erosion, capture sediment and filter pollution. Landowners can receive tax credits for up to 75 percent of a project’s cost.

The program, administered by the State Conservation Commission, gives agriculture producers an incentive to purchase conservation equipment, plant cover crops and install practices that help protect the environment.

Farmers who are also working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service Environmental Quality Incentives Program, or with any other funding source, can use REAP to offset their out-of-pocket expenses.

Private investors may act as a sponsor by providing capital to producers as a project is approved in return for tax credits. Any individual or business subject to taxation under Personal Income Tax, Corporate Net Income Tax, Bank Shares Tax and others is eligible to participate in REAP.

Since the program began in 2007, more than 4,300 projects worth more than $52 million have been approved. The total public and private investment made to implement these projects is $133 million.

REAP has helped prevent an estimated runoff of more than 12 million pounds of nitrogen, 900,000 pounds of phosphorus and 900,000 tons of sediment from reaching local streams and the Chesapeake Bay.

For more information, or to apply for the 2014-2015 REAP program, call the Greene County Conservation District at 724-852-5278.