The Peru Gazette

 Grand Isle, VT – Cornell CALS PRO DAIRY will teach engineering standards for barnyard runoff control and vegetative treatment areas to agricultural field professionals on April 27^th at the Miner Institute in Chazy, New York. The presenters will share information about opportunities and challenges in designing best management practices that reduce the loss of phosphorus from farmland, protect water quality and help dairy farms become more sustainable. NYS Soil and Water Conservation District and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service managers will also describe economic incentives available for farmers who wish to protect water quality by installing best management practices.  

Many best management practices require an engineered design before a farmer can apply for funding assistance to implement the practice on the farm.  Agricultural practices such as clean water abatement from barn roofs, vegetated treatment areas, and barnyard runoff controls have engineering standards that must be met for proper installation. Four successful local farm projects will be featured as a portion of this training.    

Participants who complete the full training may receive up to 0.8 continuing education credits from Cornell. The course fee is $50 and participants may register by emailing Heather Darrow at hh96@cornell.edu. The registration deadline is April 22, 2022. For meeting questions, contact Peter Wright at pew2@cornell.edu.  

This training program is hosted by Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY, Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lake Champlain Basin Program, and NEIWPCC. This work will help achieve the Clean Water and Healthy ecosystem goals of the LCBP’s long-term management plan Opportunities for Action (plan.lcbp.org). The program is supported by funds awarded to NEIWPCC on behalf of the LCBP by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.