Attention Livestock Owners!

Kevin Brown, BCCD, Ag Resource Specialist
We knew this day would come.  Technology is just amazing if we think about it.  Some of the things that we can do, at the blink of an eye, are just incredible- make a call from about anywhere, watch an informational video to fix something almost anywhere, get directions to anywhere, and the list goes on.  I had an acquaintance tell me a year or so ago that he had put up a small lean-to on the side of one of his buildings.  Two weeks later, guess who shows up?  The county assessor.  They needed to update the assessment on his property because of the new addition.  Now, this guy lives on a dead-end dirt road/driveway, and that driveway comes off of a very seldom-used back road that just doesn’t ever really need to be traveled unless you live there.  My point?  He lives in the middle of nowhere.  How did they find that lean-to so fast?  Modern technology.

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I was at a meeting this week.  The first breakout session I went to was on GIS and the possibilities that it has. I won’t even pretend to understand GIS, except to say that it seems to have every detail known to man, that is tied to the land, in it.  I mean everything.  As technology advances, they can now write programs within it to say , “find me structures that do not have exactly the same footprint as they did in the previous imagery” and poof, there is a list of any new structures they are looking for.  This is the example of how they found the new lean-to in the previous story.  Fast forward to the meeting.  They can also ask the system to, “find me every bare soil area within the (county, state, township, whatever)”.  In case you are not aware, ANY bare soil area is a problem area and needs to have a plan in place of how to manage it, and when it will be corrected.  Poof, there is a list of all problem areas with bare soil.  Next, they jump into their government vehicle and come to your place and make “that call”.  You know the one- “You are not allowed to have this issue.  Do you have your plans in place?  And when will it be fixed?”  We can now do that with a keystroke.  For those of you still trying to ignore that these rules exist, or you are still trying to stick your head in the sand and pretend they don’t exist, time is NOT on your side.   You can still do what you want, but if you want to head this off, the time is now.

We will be having a meeting at the Wysox Fire Hall on April 16th to discuss these issues and more.  What funding do we have that we can help with?  What can you do on your own to help alleviate them?  Not all of these areas are issues.  What does it take for them to NOT be an issue?  How can I manage my pastures and hayfields better?  We can double, and even triple your yields, if they are treated properly.  We always hear about corn and alfalfa, but what does it take to really manage grass well?  See the contact information below to sign up for the meeting.  We hope to see you there, and help you get ahead of any impending issues.

The Bradford County Conservation District is committed to helping people manage resources wisely.  You can visit the Bradford County Conservation District at 200 Lake Rd in Wysox across from the Wysox Fire Hall. Contact us at (570) 485-3144 or visit our web page at www.bccdpa.com.