The State Conservation Commission began accepting applications for REAP, the state tax credit program, on Aug. 1 for completed projects and on Aug. 15 for proposals.

Tax credits are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis and range from 50 percent to 75 percent depending on the practice installed.

The current guidelines and application can be found here: www.agriculture.pa.gov/Protect/StateConservationCommission/REAP. Practices are eligible for anything completed after Oct. 23, 2007, as long as life span of the practice hasn’t expired.

Some of the more common practices for funding are no-till equipment, nutrient management plans and out-of-pocket expenses on USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service projects. Funding for no-till equipment covers new and used implements and can be considered for a proposed purchase.

Used equipment requires a dealer to certify the planter or drill is in good working order. Cost share is up to 50 percent of equipment purchases and is something everyone should take advantage of if you’ve purchased or will purchase a planter.

Nutrient management plans are covered at 75 percent along with any structural practices that address animal concentration areas; these practices include concrete heavy use areas, manure storage, roofs and their associated practices.

The rest of eligible NRCS practices are covered at 50 percent, which include grazing system practices, cover crops and other cropland practices. These credits are eligible for use by individuals who pay any state tax for up to 15 years or can be sold.

There are brokers who will sell credits for you. However, they will take a percentage as a transaction fee in addition to the purchase price. These brokers can be bypassed if the farmer sells the credits himself, which is fairly common.

Cover crop field day

The Beaver County Conservation District, along with NRCS, will be hosting an evening cover crop field day on Friday at Fischer’s Windy Ridge Dairy Farm in Fombell, Beaver County.

The program will run from 6 to 9 p.m. with hamburgers and hot dogs being provided at a cost of $5 per person.

The event will discuss why to add covers to your farm, what diverse cover cocktails can add to the operation as well as alternative benefits of covers. This is a hands-on event looking at a long season planted cover, observing root and soil structure, infiltration benefits and grazing setup.

If you are interested in cover crops or would like to take your current cover cropping plan to the next level this event is for you. The registration deadline is Wednesday; contact Jeff Leindecker at 724-378-1701 for more information or to register.

Russ Wilson field day

Penn State, along with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, will host a field day at Russ Wilson’s operation on Aug. 30.

Wilson has a lower input farm, using adaptive grazing management and innovative farming techniques that include high-stock density grazing, a diverse mix of both native and introduced forage species, and stockpiled grazing which provide the operation 300 days of grazing per year.

Wilson uses livestock to radically change soil conditions, health and fertility with little external inputs, doing so in a short amount of time. By focusing the farm’s efforts on the below ground soil life, the operation has seen drastic improvements to forage quality, yield, and drought resistance.

This field day will focus on these improvements and will feature Dr. Sjoerd Duiker from Penn State, and will show demonstration fields where multispecies cover crops, no-till and livestock are improving soil health.

Jessica Williamson, Penn State Extension forage specialist, will offer guidance for dealing with bloat, nitrate toxicity and prussic acid poisoning when grazing cover crop fields.

Susan Richards, executive director of Capital RC&D, will give an update on how the Conservation Innovation Grant Soil Health Initiative is allowing farmers to encourage others in adopting similar approaches.

Mark Goodson, agronomist with NRCS, will explain ways to improve nutrient use efficiency, build soil organic matter, and how farmers can have higher yielding pastures with fewer added inputs.

Rounding out the speaker list is Tricia McIntire, watershed specialist with the Clarion County Conservation District. She will highlight opportunities available to employ manure and nutrient management programs and explain how they can benefit farmers.

The workshop is sponsored by the Penn State Extension, Capital RC&D, Penn Soil RC&D, Clarion and Forest County Conservation Districts, PA Grazing/Forage Lands Coalition and the NRCS.

There will be a $10 fee for lunch and support materials. To register, call the Penn Soil RC&D at 814-726-1441, Ext. 5, by Aug. 22. The day will consist of outdoor activities so participants are advised to dress suitably.

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