Farming

Lehigh County Conservation District will host a two-day “Healthy Farms, Healthy Animals, Healthy Water, Planning for Sustainability” workshop 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 4 and 18 at the Best Western Lehigh Valley Hotel and Conference Center, 300 Gateway Dr., Bethlehem. This sustainability program is offered through a partnership with the Penn State Extension, the Center for Beef Excellence, the Center for Dairy Excellence and Northampton County Conservation District.

This free program will be highly informational and is designed to help managers of equine and other livestock operations understand how the manure management regulations affect their farm operations.

The workshop will cover sessions about why erosion and sediment regulations have been established and what kind of plan is required for each operation. Sessions on pasture health, animal concentration areas regulations and proper procedures for manure spreading and storage will also be addressed.

There also will be two instructional classes regarding the drawing of maps for an individual farm’s plan and the completion of the manure management plan.

Upon completion, participants will have, free of charge, many valuable take-home supplies including a manure management plan for their farm that is fully compliant with state regulation and a copy of “Weeds of the Northeast,” a soil testing kit and a grazing stick. Lunch and snacks will also be provided free.

This workshop is brought to farmers through a grant from the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts and by a partnership between Lehigh County and Northampton County conservation districts, Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Center for Beef Excellence and The Center for Dairy Excellence.

A refundable deposit is required to hold a spot. Refund will be made upon completion of the Feb. 18 workshop.

Register by Feb. 1 to attend. To register, contact Damian Painter at 610-391-9583 ext. 26 or email dpainter@lehighconservation.org.