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News & Notes March 2008
2008-2009 Educational Mini-Grants
Available
The PACD announces the opening of the application period for the 2008-2009
educational mini-grant programs for conservation districts. Grants up
to $2,500 are awarded for educational projects that address Nonpoint
Source Pollution (NPS) and Chesapeake Bay Pollution Prevention.
This funding allows conservation districts to implement educational
programs that increase local awareness of water quality issues, promote
the theme "We All Live Downstream," and encourage citizen
participation in activities to improve water quality in local watersheds.
Applications for the Chesapeake Bay grant program are available online
at http://www.pacd.org/resources/cb/minigrants/app.htm
and Nonpoint Source Pollution at http://www.pacd.org/resources/NPs/minigrants/app.htm.
General grant information, including guidelines, reporting requirements,
and current and previously-funded projects, is available at http://www.pacd.org/resources/grants.htm.
For more information about our mini-grants program, please contact Hannah
Smith at hannah-smith@pacd.org.
Applications must be received by May 15, 2008.
Funding for these grants is provided by the Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection's Chesapeake Bay Program and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Program.
USDA Updates Tillage Practice
Data to Include Alfalfa Seedings
As reported in News & Notes in July 2007, the USDA's National
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released it's first ever survey
of tillage practices for field crops in the Commonwealth. The survey
was conducted in response to requests from industry groups for information
on the tillage practices used in Pennsylvania.
The following survey results were re-released in February to include
updated alfalfa seedings information.
In 2007, conventional tillage was used on 29.2% of the major crop
acreage in Pennsylvania. No-till was practiced on 50.4% of the major
crop acreage, and other conservation tillage practices were used on
the remaining 20.4%. Corn and soybeans are the two crops with the highest
acreages. Conventional till was used on 29.0% of the corn acreage, no-till
was practiced on 49.7% of the acreage, and the remaining 21.4% of the
corn acreage used other conservation tillage practices. In soybeans,
conventional till was used on 20.5% of the acreage, no-till was practiced
on 63.6% of the acreage, and the remaining 15.9% of the soybean acreage
used other conservation tillage practices. As with most of NASS's survey
work these numbers will be subject to revision in June 2008. With more
operators realizing potential advantages to no-till and other conservation
tillage practices including reduced labor costs and increased water
filtration, and as technology continues to change production practices,
we anticipate that the mix of tillage practices will change. The PA
Field Office will monitor changes in tillage practices as funding allows.
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Pennsylvania: Tillage
Practices by Crop, 2007
|
| Crop |
Total Acres Planted |
No-Till1
|
Other Conservation Tillage2
|
Conventional Till3
|
|
Acres
|
% of Total4
|
Acres
|
% of Total4
|
Acres
|
% of Total4
|
| Corn |
1,450,000
|
720,000
|
49.7
|
310,000
|
21.4
|
420,000
|
29.0
|
| Soybeans |
440,000
|
280,000
|
63.6
|
70,000
|
15.9
|
90,000
|
20.5
|
Barley |
60,000
|
24,000
|
40.0
|
19,000
|
31.7
|
17,000
|
28.3
|
| Winter Wheat5 |
170,000
|
75,000
|
44.1
|
40,000
|
23.5
|
55,000
|
32.4
|
| Oats |
120,000
|
30,000
|
25.0
|
18,000
|
15.0
|
72,000
|
60.0
|
|
Total6
|
2,240,000
|
1,129,000
|
50.4
|
457,000
|
20.4
|
654,000
|
29.2
|
Alfalfa Seedings
7/8 |
100,000
|
21,400
|
21.4
|
21,400
|
21.4
|
57,100
|
57.1
|
| Grand Total9 |
2,340,000
|
1,150,400
|
49.2
|
478,400
|
20.4
|
711,100
|
30.4
|
1No-Till - A procedure
whereby a crop is planted directly into a seedbed not tilled since harvest
of a previous crop, or the planting of a crop into sod, previous crop
stubble, or a cover where only the intermediate seed zone is disturbed.
2Other Conservation Tillage - Tillage practices prior to planting which
result in a minimum of 30 percent ground cover or residue being retained
on the surface following planting. Grass and weed control is accomplished
primarily with herbicides. Includes ridge till, strip till, and mulch
till. 3Convention Till - Systems where 100 percent of the surface is
mixed or inverted by plowing, power tilling, or multiple disking. 4Sum
of no-till, other conservation tillage and conventional till percents
of total may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. 5Wheat seeded the
previous fall for all intended purposes including grain, cover, silage,
hay or any other utilization. 6Total excludes Alfalfa Seedings. 7New
alfalfa seeded or to be seeded during 2007. 8Alfalfa seeded acres available
in January 2008. 9Includes alfalfa seedings published January
11, 2008.
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