SMETHPORT The McKean County Conservation District directors and staff welcomed representatives from legislators and agencies for a legislative tour to promote the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP).

ACAP is a program administered by the conservation district to provide landowners with funding to implement conservation practices on their land. The district has partnered with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to work with participating farmers and landowners to help design and implement soil and water conservation practices. These practices are for the control of nitrogen, phosphorus or sediment losses from their farms while improving water quality and soil health across the Commonwealth.

ACAP was created by the PA General Assembly through the Clean Streams Fund to reduce nonpoint source pollution in the streams and surface waters of the Commonwealth. In 2023, the District was allocated $860,000 through the State Conservation Commission to be spent by Dec. 31, 2026. To date, the conservation district has received over $2 million in requests and has contracted over $839,000. These contracts are with contributions through the NRCS totaling over $447,000.

Sandy Thompson, district manager, stated, ‘The district would not have been able to implement the ACAP program if it wasn’t for the great partnership with NRCS.’

During the tour, four landowners welcomed tour participants to their farms. The first stop was to the Warner Brook Stables in Smethport, owned by Dave & Tanya Okerlund. This farm was established in 2003 with the purchase of 40 acres. They started clearing land and installing buildings to create a boarding stable. The first structure was a 84′ X 200′ building to house horses and the indoor riding arena. After that the land was cleared and fences were installed for pasture. It has been over a 20-year process for the Okerlunds but they have been able to purchase adjoining lands and continue to improve upon their farm.

As a part of these improvements, in 2023 the Okerlunds applied through NRCS to secure $80,000 in funding for the implementation of a roofed waste storage facility and the installation of stream exclusionary fencing, stream crossings, and water facilities. The district also approved $77,386.00 in funding through an ACAP contract to bring the total funding allocation to $157,386.

‘The roofed waste storage facility will make the product much better to use and be utilized the way it was meant to be, as a resource for our farm fields,’ said Dave Okerlund.

The second stop was to the Strait Farm on Annin Creek. The farm was founded in 1951 by Bob Strait, who operated the farm as a 432-acre dairy operation. Currently, it is a beef operation with 65 head of cattle. The farm is now operated by Bob Strait’s daughter Judy and son-in-law Don Dickerson.

This project was visited last year before the project was started. During this visit, the participants were able to see the completed project. In 2023, the district approved $84,000 in ACAP funding to install a roofed heavy use area and waste storage facility as well as to install roof runoff structure, subsurface drain, underground outlets, and an access road. The project is also receiving $116,000 through NRCS.

Don Dickerson stated, ‘We appreciate the ACAP and NRCS funding to alleviate the muddy issue we were dealing with where we raise our cattle.’

The third stop was a visit to the Decker Farmstead in Liberty Township, owned and operated by Matt and Gina Decker. This is primarily a direct-to-consumer farm raising pastured poultry (both laying hens and meat chickens) and Black Angus steers. The steers are locally sourced from Mantz farms. This farm also maintains a small herd of Boer and Kiko goats.

In 2023, Matt Decker secured $36,247 in funding from NRCS and $30,000 through the district’s ACAP program to implement best management plans within the grazing plan written for his farm. Those practices included exterior and interior fencing, having a water well drilled and water pipeline for the livestock.

‘The process went very well and it was something that was needed,’ said Matt Decker. ‘We were lucky to get hooked-up with ACAP and NRCS as they were instrumental for us to develop this so we can sell to consumers.’

The fourth stop was to the nearby Mantz Farms, owned and operated by Gene Mantz, that consists of 100 acres of rolling pasture, 100 acres of cropland and 250 acres of forest. Mantz Farms is a 3rd generation cow-calf operation maintaining 50 head of high percentage Black Angus cows. The calves are sold mostly by private contract to either be finished and sold locally or direct to the feedlots.

In 2018, Mantz worked with the district to implement a roofed heavy use area and waste storage facility through funding obtained through Shell.

‘I am a third-generation farmer, this original project worked great but the herd size has been increased and with future generations to take over there is a need for a bigger structure,’ said Mantz. An application has been submitted to NRCS to obtain additional funding for the implementation of an additional facility along with access roads, stream exclusionary fencing and a watering system. This application was not awarded due to federal funding constraints.

The main message of this tour was to instill the necessity of continuing the ACAP program at the state level with the district being allocated an annual $300,000. However, McKean County faces a 30-40% increase in costs, more than anywhere else in the state due to contractor and material limitations. ‘Then tack on an additional 30-40% increase due to prevailing wage requirements,’ said Adam Causer. ‘We have contractors in our county who are qualified to construct these projects but won’t due to prevailing wage requirements.’

Recent executive actions freezing and revoking conservation funding, reducing staff and shifting programs within federal programs as well as the need to pass a farm bill at the federal level are other impacts that were discussed.

From left, from McKean County Conservation District, Jeff Holcomb; Rob Dickenson of Penn State Extension; Jeff Werner of NRCS; Sheila Sterrett of U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick’s office; Taylor Null of DEP; Brad Moore of U.S. Rep Glenn Thompson’s office; Jake Tomlinson of Penn State Extension; Megan Ball, NRCS; Jennifer Stillman of Rep. Marty Causer’s office; Adam Causer and Sarah Carlson, MCCD; Dave Okerlund, Warner Brook Stables; Beka Siko, SCC; Cliff Lane, John Stratton, Kerry Fetter, Katelynn Decker and Sandy Thompson, all of MCCD; and Amanda Murdock, NRCS.

MCCD