CONSERVATION CORNER
A weekly blog for all things conservation
By: Miranda Neville, Agricultural Resource Specialist, BCCD As temperatures are getting warmer and summer is rapidly approaching, farmers are gearing up for hay season and farm kids are preparing for cow shows. Like a kid going off to summer camp with butterflies of excitement to meet up with friends, have new experiences and make hundreds of memories, so many farm kids (and adults) are getting those butterflies thinking about packing up the cattle trailers and heading out to the county fairs. In the farming world, the cow show circuit is not only a place for cattle breeders to show off their top genetic cows- it’s also a place where they can connect with each other and have an opportunity to educate the public, but most importantly to have fun!
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By: Nathan Dewing, Agricultural Team Leader, Bradford County Conservation District Sustainable food production and distribution is getting people’s attention today. Thankfully, we have had leaders among us who haven’t taken this for granted. Let’s remember some. By: Guest Columnist, Troy Bishopp, Upper Susquehanna Coalition, Grazing Specialist Effective communication is a powerful tool that many outside of agriculture use on a daily basis. Some use this tool to tell our story for us, when they haven’t experienced the trials and tribulations of farm life. This concerns me greatly as consumers and elected leaders get further removed from the farm. It’s time agriculturists learn these tools and take personal responsibility for the message that is portrayed to the public. Public speaking and media outreach are some of the scariest activities to do for anyone, least of all, folks that work the land. Good, bad or indifferent, forces have reduced our farming population so low that we now have a great opportunity. Opportunity? What opportunity? By Tess Flynn-Belles, Natural Resource Specialist Imagine this; it’s an early spring morning, the sun is shining and most of the snow has melted. You decide to take a walk down to your pond and see if the ice has melted off. You’re enjoying your walk, the warm sun softening the crisp of the morning air. As you approach your pond, you take in the light sparkling off the water. YAY!! The ice is off, time to start casting a line out and see what you catch. You’re cruising the edge of your pond when you notice a dead sunfish…. A little more walking… a dead largemouth bass. You look up and notice that the shoreline of your pond is littered with dead fish!! It’s then that it hits you in the gut…… FISH KILL!!! By: Guest Columnist Cheyenne Bastian-Brown, Bradford County FFA President What do you think of when you hear FFA? When confronted with the concept of what FFA (formally known as the National Future Farmers of America Organization) is, many people focus primarily on the word farmer and look no further for any other explanation. Since the title includes the phrase “Future Farmer,” it is then believed that each member of the organization is in pursuance of one day becoming a farmer, a landowner, and someone to feed the world population… nothing else. Typically, this is the idea that most parent/guardians have in mind when their student pursues an interest in agricultural education. By: Miranda Neville, Agricultural Resource Specialist In a time when dairy farmers, or frankly any type of farmers, are struggling to stay afloat, the thought of passing down a family business seems like a very big dream and not so much a feasible reality. The struggles may be different than generations past, but one thing has stayed the same for many farm families; the concept that there is no greater place to raise a child. Being a dairy farm mom to a spunky, sassy five-year-old daughter has been the most rewarding role. Working a full time, off-farm job at the conservation district, racing home to hear about all of the struggles of Kindergarten and making our way to the barn is our daily routine. The minute we walk in the barn any and all of our worries melt away and we are in our happy place. By: Kevin Brown, Agricultural Resource Specialist Every year the Conservation District organizes education days at all the local schools. We bring in the Game Commission, beekeepers, maple producers, farmers, and the like. We also do a station or two ourselves. Luckily, I often get to run one of the stations. It is the most fun I have all year. I love educating young people. I tweak my topic each time I do it, but the most basic stuff is always there. I try to bring it “home” for them. I would like to ask all of you the same thing I ask them, and really try to bring it “home” to you. What are the four things that we absolutely, positively must have to survive day in and day out? The younger kids usually get close to the right answers. I am sure there are some older folks that think cell phone, internet, cable TV and a car. You know the good stuff. My, how some of us have become “removed” from the important things that we absolutely MUST have. Have you guessed any of the four things yet? Excerpt taken from Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy (NPC) newsletter. To learn more about NPC or to sign up for their newsletter, visit https://npcweb.org/ With the winter solstice passing and holiday celebrations in full swing, what’s your go-to way of staying cozy and warm? Throw another log on the fire? Pull out your favorite sweater for an extra layer? Or perhaps, you’re in the kitchen cooking up a hearty stew? As humans, we have many ways that we can keep out the cold by altering our environment. But of course, for our Pennsylvania wildlife, adjusting the thermostat is not an option. Fortunately, they have a variety of amazing physical and behavioral adaptations to help them survive the winter. Here’s a look at a few of those wintertime adaptations! By: Dan Rhodes, Education Coordinator Not long ago, Pennsylvanian’s heating and cooling options were few and simple; home heating oil, coal, wood, propane, and electricity. To power lights and appliances, it was electricity from the general power grid. Now there are solar powered systems, geothermal systems, electric heat pumps, private mini-hydro water turbines, wood-boilers, and natural gas lines available to Bradford County residents looking for cutting edge energy sources that save money and reduce environmental impacts. |
AuthorsVarious staff at the Bradford County Conservation District Archives
March 2024
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