Starting Thursday, local conservation groups will be offering a series of meetings and workshops regarding new Agriculture Compliance and Manure Management Regulations.
The meetings and workshops are being held by the Schuylkill Conservation District in conjunction with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Penn State Extension.
All will be held at the Schuylkill County Ag Center, 1206 Ag Center Drive, Pottsville.
While these are offered free of charge, pre-registration is required so that the conservation district can supply those attending with the list of required information they will need to bring in order to complete their plan.
The first meeting, an Agriculture Compliance Overview, will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday with Jennifer Reed-Harry from Penn Ag assisting the Ag Center staff in bringing attendees up-to-date on all of the latest requirements facing Pennsylvania producers.
"The regulations affecting agricultural operations are numerous and many of those regulations have changed in recent years," said Elizabeth Hinkel, district manager of the Schuylkill Conservation District, in a press release. "From pesticide safety to manure management and vehicle use to fuel storage, you'll get the scoop on what you need to know."
According to the Penn State Extension website, the state has stepped up its emphasis on Agricultural Regulatory Compliance in the past year due to mandates handed down from the federal government and with this increase in compliance, "The PA Department of Environmental Protection and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency increased farm inspections throughout the commonwealth."
It also says that state regulations require any animal operation that produces or uses animal manure to have a written manure management plan for baseline compliance.
The conservation district said that law applies to anyone who has animals that produce manure, from the backyard horse owner to 4H members with project animals to large farming operations.
The requirements are not new to farming practices as the manure management requirement has been in effect since 1977 and the agricultural erosion and sedimentation control plans since 1972.
The first of three Manure Management Workshops to assist anyone who has decided to write their own plan for their operation will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 27.
It will be geared toward small animals, horses and exotic animals, such as llamas, alpacas, deer, emu and rhea, and is said to be perfect for the small backyard operation horse owner, 4H member or exotic animal owner.
The remaining workshops will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. March 5 and from 6 to 9 p.m. March 7.
Both will be geared toward larger farming operations that raise livestock or import and spread manure.
For more information or to register, contact either Hinkel, Jamie McGovern, Ag Program coordinator, or Martie Hetherington, Chesapeake Bay coordinator, at the Schuylkill Conservation District at 570-622-3742.
