The Beaver and Butler county conservation districts, in conjunction with NRCS, will hold a REAP information and application completion meeting at the Butler County farm service center from 6 to 8 p.m. July 8.

REAP, the Resource Enhancement and Protection program, is a state-administered program that provides interested parties tax credits to offset the cost of new and used no-till equipment and conservation based best management practices.

Producers can receive up to 50 percent off the cost of no-till equipment and up to 75 percent off the cost of conservation-best management practices, which include grazing systems, heavy use areas, manure storages and their components such as fence, spring developments and manure handling equipment.

These credits can be used by the applicant or sold to anyone who pays state taxes. Those who have sold their credits are receiving around 85 to 90 cents on the dollars for them.

Eligible practices include those completed after Oct. 23, 2007, or producers can apply for proposed practices and make the purchase of equipment and projects contingent on receipt of the tax credit.

REAP officials will be on hand to give a brief overview of the program and answer questions while applications are completed.

Anyone interested in applying for REAP is encouraged to attend the meeting as applications are due in Harrisburg beginning Aug. 3. If you have any questions about the program, you can either contact Ryan Harr at the Butler County Conservation District at 724-284-5527 or Andy Gaver at the Natural Resources Conservation Service at 724-482-4800, Ext. 108.

Carcass composting sessions slated

The Beaver County Conservation District will hold two sessions on odor and carcass composting for area producers at the Cranberry municipal building from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and 7 to 9:30 p.m. June 30.

This informational meeting will discuss proper on-farm mortality composting procedures and current odor regulations under ACRE, who is regulated, how to manage on-farm odor, and how to plan future expansion and prevent odor issues.

As suburbia continues to expand into farm country, producers are encouraged to attend one of these meetings to obtain the information needed to maintain good neighbor relations. Refreshments will be provided at no charge, and those interested are requested to contact Lynn vozniak at 724-857-1043 to register.

Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.