Conservation district to host CREP workshop
Greene County Conservation District, with assistance from Washington-Greene Farm Agency and Pheasant Forever, will host a free Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program information workshop and tour.
The event will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 25, at Greene County Fairgrounds. Landowners who have a stream that runs through an open pasture, crop or hay land, or fields with low, wet spots, are encouraged to participate.
CREP is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency and is a partnership between farmers, state and federal governments and private groups.
In exchange for removing environmentally sensitive land from production and introducing conservation practices, farmers and agricultural landowners are paid an annual rental rate. Participation is voluntary and the contracts normally run 10 to 15 years.
CREP is available for eligible cropland and marginal pasture land with nonforested streams. Most rural, unforested areas within 180 feet of streams, ponds, lakes and wetlands with open water are eligible. Small seasonal streams also qualify.
Forrest buffers must be at least 35-feet wide and those 50-feet wide will earn substantially more in rental. Areas with more than one-third coverage by existing trees and shrubs do not qualify.
CREP can help improve water quality and wildlife habitat. It also can provide many beneficial practices, such as forested riparian buffers, wetland restoration, filter strips and grasses. CREP participants are paid an annual rental fee based on several different factors.
Those interested in the workshop, should call Karlie Wright at 724-852-5278 or email at kwright@co.greene.pa.us to register or to receive more information. Participants who preregister by June 20 will have a lunch provided to them during the event.
Support for the CREP Outreach Program Office mini-grant program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts Inc. through a Growing Greener watershed protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Additional support comes from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.