December 12, 2007
Lancaster Farming
REAP—Helping Agriculture Invest in Environmental Stewardship
By Andrea Sharretts, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Natural Resources Director
Last week, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation released its annual “State of the Bay” report, rating the overall health of the bay a D. Over the past several months, numerous articles and letters to the editor have been published, pointing a finger at agriculture’s harmful effect on water quality. Over 180 municipal sewage treatment plants are facing costly facility upgrades in order to comply with new nitrogen and phosphorus limits, and many assert they are being unfairly burdened, while agriculture is being let off the hook.
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and others have been working to correct this misconception, noting that PA laws do not merely encourage best management practices on farms—they require it. Moreover, as Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff has pointed out, “Farmers are the original conservationists.” In addition to the roughly 1,400 farms currently regulated as CAFOs and CAOs in the Commonwealth, another 1,200 farms voluntarily have implemented nutrient management plans. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation estimates that you, Pennsylvania farmers, have committed over $357 million of your own dollars to improve water quality since restoration efforts began in the bay. And that hard work has paid dividends. Recent EPA calculations estimate that Pennsylvania farmers proudly can lay claim to over half of the nitrogen reductions made anywhere in the watershed. Still, there is more work to be done. But with ever-rising production costs and shrinking profit margins, farmers cannot bear the cleanup cost alone.
The Resource Enhancement Protection (REAP) tax credit program is one tool available to help you improve both water quality and your bottom line. As you probably have heard, credits can be generated by implementing conservation plans and a variety of proven and cost-effective best management practices, including no-till, improvements to barnyards, pastures and riparian corridors, and legacy sediment remediation.
Tax credits of up to $150,000 per agricultural operation will be granted by the PA Department of Revenue, with up to $10 million in credits available for 2007-08. Credits can be used for up to fifteen years, are transferable and can be sold to other taxpayers. Through REAP’s sponsorship component, another business could help finance a project and apply for the tax credit. The State Conservation Commission, which administers the program, has posted guidelines and applications at www.agriculture.state.pa.us/REAP. You may also request an application by calling Mary Bender, REAP Program Administrator, at (717) 705-4032.
Applications may be mailed or delivered in person to the State Conservation Commission (2301 North Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110). Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, beginning January 2 and must be postmarked no earlier than December 26. Funding is limited, so farmers are encouraged to begin working with local county conservation district or Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) staff to ensure that current plans (conservation plan, agricultural erosion and sedimentation control plan and a nutrient management plan where required) are in place for each farming operation. Participation in REAP also requires that animal concentration areas such as barnyards, loafing areas and feedlots be protected against runoff and nutrient/sediment loss by appropriate best management practices.
Under REAP, farmers interested in purchasing no-till planting equipment may qualify for a 50 percent tax credit. A meeting to explain the program’s no-till purchasing requirements is scheduled for Tuesday, December 18, 10 a.m. to Noon, in the V.I.P. Room at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. For reservations, call: (717) 787-8821. The State Conservation Commission is sponsoring two REAP information session during the Pennsylvania Farm Show, with meetings to be held Tuesday, January 8 and Thursday, January 10 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Pennsylvania Room of the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. For those unable to attend the Harrisburg meetings, the Blair County Conservation District will hold an information session on December 20 from 1-3 p.m. at the Williamsburg Farm Show Building (Recreation Drive, Williamsburg). RSVP for the December 20 meeting by calling: 8l4-696-0877 ext. 5. |
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