NRCS Local Work Group Meeting to Be Held August 19th

NRCS Conservation Local Work Group Meeting August 19, 2016

Farmers, Landowners, Organizations, and Agencies Encouraged to Attend

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announces 2016 Local Working Group (LWG) meeting in cooperation with the Lawrence County Conservation District.  This meeting is to gather input and help set priorities for USDA conservation programs under the 2014 Farm Bill for Lawrence, Mercer, Erie, and Crawford Counties.

“Every year I hear really good support from all four County Conservation Districts in organizing our Local Work Group Meetings,” said Jody Lasko, Supervisory District Conservationist for PA NRCS West Team 1.  “This year we decided to hold one meeting together to discuss natural resource priorities.”  Farmers representing a variety of crops and livestock raised within the local area, private woodland owners, representatives of agricultural and environmental organizations, and representatives of other agriculture and natural resource agencies are welcome at this year’s meeting and should be represented.

The main program discussed at the meeting will be the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the primary federal conservation program for agricultural and forest lands.  EQIP offers technical and financial assistance to help landowners with needed conservation practices for water quality, soil health, wildlife and other natural resources.  “Input from Local Work Group meetings has helped shape the kind of financial assistance available for conservation practices on farms and woodlots here in Northwest Pennsylvania,” according to Lasko.  The EQIP program was re-authorized through 2019 in the federal Farm Bill, which was passed in February 2014.

Local Working Group meetings are open to the public.  Anyone interested in participating in LWGs may contact NRCS for more details.  However, RSVP is not required.  Jody Lasko can be reached at 814-336-2127 ext 3 for additional information.

 

Lasko encourages anyone interested to come to the Local Work Group Meeting Friday, August 19, 2016, at 10:00 AM, at the Penn State Extension in Crawford County at 1099 Morgan Village Road, Suite A Meadville, PA 16335.  The NRCS .  The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) draws on a long history of helping people help the land. For 80 years, NRCS and its predecessor agencies have worked in close partnerships with farmers and ranchers, local and state governments, and other federal agencies to maintain healthy and productive working landscapes. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

 

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/

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