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MIDDLEBURG - Farmers know cover crops keep their soils covered to prevent erosion. Cover crops can also help with weed suppression. When planted year after year, cover crops improve the soil's water holding capacity. However, you may have been leery in planting a cover crop for the first time because of a lack of equipment, experience, or some other concern. Mr. & Mrs. Farmer, you are in luck.
The Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) is offering a program to encourage county farmers to plant cover crops for the first time within the Middle Creek Watershed. Reimbursements and/or payments can be forwarded to the farmer, the seed dealer, and/or the custom drill operator. Certified seed is preferred, but bin run seed is possible if it its tested for purity and germination.
This program, through the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation's PA Most Effective Basins Grant, is open for farm operations who have never planted cover crops before. Fields that have never had cover crops planted but under management control of an operator who cover cropped before or had not been cover cropped since 2016 may also be eligible.
Interested farmers must complete an application with the Conservation District. Additional program details are available at the office by contacting Barry Spangler, Agricultural Conservation Technician at 570-837-3000, extension 5.