Kevin Brown, BCCD, Ag Resource Specialist
You always have to read the fine print.  LOL.  We are the Conservation District.  We do conservation work.  What is that?  In a nutshell, I would say that we want to specialize in helping people conserve their natural resources.  We have written other articles on it so I will not go too much further with a definition.  We are not pure protectionist, but we would like to conserve what we have in hopes to give the next generation the same, or better.  I have not seen the study, but supposedly there is a study out there that finds that the happiest people are people that spend a lot of time outdoors.  Their fondest memories are of them playing outside as children.  I can attest to that.  I love the outdoors.  Taking walks in nature, listening to the sounds (birds, bees, water running, etc.), looking at all the different plants out there, what the animals are doing, etc.  Immerse yourself in it.  Don’t just be outside, BE outside.  Be one with nature.  (Did you know there are apps that will tell you what kind of bird is making that noise?  Or what plant that is?  I don’t want to put myself out of a job, but how cool is that?  I walk around my property now, with my phone in hand, identifying all the different bird sounds and plants out there.)  Now those are the things that I would like to conserve as much as possible.  Is that anything that excites you?  If so, maybe we can help.  

​Tim Robson, Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Road Specialist
Maybe that has been your complaint or your gripe this summer or in summers past, it seems like they are always on your road.  But, chances are that your local maintenance crew is just trying to get the many things done that they need to do before the next weather season comes along.  We often underestimate or fail to understand just how much these crews are asked to do in a year’s time with a small crew, limited equipment and in some cases, limited training. For instance, an un-named township in our county has nearly 80 miles of road system to maintain, 20 of which is hard surfaced road (Tar and chip or asphalt). So, you can see how this presents a significant challenge for any size road crew. 

By: Kevin Brown, Ag Team Leader
​So, my first comment is “nothing can compete with well managed grass in the northeast”.  If you manage and feed your grasses correctly, they will outcompete everything else.  If you have weeds, it is because the grasses are not being managed as well as they can be.  They are lacking a good cutting schedule or nutrients.  Depending on the weed, cutting them on a timely basis will help a lot.  Most weeds we deal with are annuals.  They live one year.  You cut hem before they go to seed then you have that many less weed seeds next year.  Do that a few years in a row and there are “no” seeds left to germinate.  Now, that does not work on perennials.  They will be harder to deal with.  Call me and we can discuss how to handle them.  It will depend on the weed.

By: Kevin Brown, Ag Team Leader
I was struggling for a good topic this week when I guy walked in and started asking me about reseeding a field.  How to do it, what he should use, etc.  I think there are still enough people out there making hay on a lot of Bradford County fields so I will hit that topic this week.  First off, we need rain!  For non-farmers, how could you ask for a better year?  Warm, dry, just beautiful weather.  For farmers and gardeners, not so much.