“We can proactively work on getting farms environmentally compliant. These are the folks who are feeding us. We owe them help to stay in business.” — Larry Lloyd, Berks Nature
Delaware River Watershed Initiative Partners Team Up to Help Farmers
Lamonte Garber, Stroud Water Research Center’s watershed restoration coordinator, was recently interviewed by the Reading Eagle as part of their article, A Thirst for Clean Water Flowing From Berks County.
The article reports on the progress being made by Berks Nature, the Stroud Center, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, and other Delaware River Watershed Initiative partners in helping farmers implement agricultural best management practices to protect clean water in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Important Changes to Protect Creeks
Agricultural practices influence water quality in nearby streams. With help from the partner organizations, siblings Doris Long and David Kaufman have implemented important changes on their farm to protect local creeks from agricultural runoff:
- New gutters on the barn roof and a protected manure storage area prevent rain from transporting manure into Furnace Creek.
- Fences and streamside plantings of native trees and shrubs keep cattle out of the stream, preventing “direct deposits” of manure.
- Cattle walk on an elevated stone walkway, not a muddy path, to get to the pastures and cross the creek on a “hog slat” walkway, which prevents debris on the walkway from washing into the stream.
- Their no-till fields with cover cropping foster healthy soils.
Learn More
- Read the full article on readingeagle.com.
- Follow the progress of the Delaware River Watershed Initiative at 4states1source.org.
- See more news from our Watershed Restoration Group.
- Read Tips for Cover Cropping Success.
