News & Notes May 2002

York County Farm Announced as 2002 Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Farm Award Winner

Dan, Dave, Steven and Susan Wolf, owners and operators of Wolf Farms, Inc., located in York County have been selected to receive the 2002 Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Farm Award. The Wolfs will be recognized during the Pennsylvania Association of Conservations Districts, Inc. (PACD) Annual Conservation Awards Program scheduled for July 22, 2002, at the Harrisburg Hilton and Towers in Harrisburg, PA. The award recipients will receive a large "Clean Water Farm Award" sign to erect on their property, advertising their commitment to protecting water quality, in addition to a plaque.

The Wolf family has worked diligently to install and maintain Best Management practices (BMPs) that control soil erosion and prevent excess fertilizers and pesticides from entering streams and groundwater supplies. The family's farming legacy dates back to the 1920s.

Through the years the size of the farm has grown and the Wolfs have managed to incorporate no-till farming extensively into their operation. They currently practice no-till on all of their land except their fruit tree orchards, where there is minimal soil disturbance. By doing so, the Wolfs have greatly reduced cropland runoff that could otherwise impact local and downstream water quality. According to the York County Conservation District staff who nominated Wolf Farms, Inc. for the award, the family's stewardship ethic serves as an example of how farmers "take care of business" while keeping an eye on water quality.

In Pennsylvania more than half of the state's 67 counties are located within the Susquehanna River Drainage Basin. Waterways within the drainage basin serve as a lifeline to the Chesapeake Bay by providing nearly half of its fresh water and sound agricultural practices, such as those maintained by the Wolfs, are critical to insuring that clean water enters the Bay.

Recipients of the annual Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Farm Award are nominated by county conservation district staff. The Clean Water Farm Award Program is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Education Office (administered by the PACD, a private, nonprofit organization representing Pennsylvania's 66 county conservation districts.) The PA Chesapeake Bay Education Office conducts numerous activities promoting the theme, "We All Live Downstream." For more information, visit the PACD website at www.pacd.org.

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