Miranda Neville, Ag Resource Specialist
“What’s down time?” said every farmer, ever. Well, that was the world’s shortest article!
Let’s focus on the ‘off season’. When the hay is all cut and baled and the corn is chopped and all that’s left is caring for their livestock and routine daily chores. If they’re not spending all day in the field, what are they doing?  

Lacy Powers, Conservation Technician, BCCD
Wetlands are unique environments that occur in areas where water interacts with the soil, creating conditions that support a wide variety of plant and animal species that have adapted to these moist conditions. These ecosystems are crucial for biodiversity by serving as wildlife habitats and provide essential functional values such as: water filtration, carbon storage, flood control, and improving water quality. Since the beginning of settlement in Pennsylvania, it is estimated we have lost over 56% of our wetlands due to development, agricultural, and damming of waterways. Being able to identify the presence of a wetland is important to preserving our water quality and protecting our communities.

There are three special ingredients that must be present to make a wetland. Just as you can’t make a cake without flour, milk, and eggs, you can’t make a wetland without having hydrology, hydrophytic (water-loving) vegetation, and hydric soils (saturated/inundated soils).  These indicators are known as the “3H’s” of wetland determination.