PA Farm News - State Conference to Focus on Agricultural Nutrient Balance

State Conference to Focus on Agricultural Nutrient Balance
By Gary Abdullah, PSU Ag Science News
UNIVERSITY PARK -- Developing new and innovative approaches to managing farm nutrient run-off and protecting water quality is the goal of an upcoming working conference sponsored by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. Offered in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, "Agriculture and Environment: Achieving Balance," will be held June 2-3 at the Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey in Harrisburg.

The conference is designed to identify new solutions to the old, yet challenging issue of nutrients in the environment, says Kristen Saacke Blunk, director of the Agriculture and Environment Center in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

"This conference will tap the collective wisdom of Pennsylvanians who are engaged in farm and natural resource management - from the decision makers at the state level to the local farmer," Saacke Blunk says. "We hope it will generate new strategies, partnerships and energy for bringing the state closer to its goals for improving local watersheds and the larger bodies of water that they impact."

Nutrient-related pollution has been a challenge to Pennsylvania and other states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed for years, she notes. "And the problem isn't confined to the bay's watershed -- nutrient-related pollution from municipal and agricultural sources is linked to stream, river and lake impairments in the Ohio River, Delaware River and Great Lakes watersheds, as well."

In preparation for the conference, the conference-planning committee held a one-day retreat that brought together agricultural, environmental and governmental leaders to craft a "vision" for a future Pennsylvania agriculture. This vision will be presented at the conference with the goal of seeking ways to remove barriers and identify new solutions for addressing nutrient-related pollution.

In addition, conference participants will view a documentary developed by Penn State Public Broadcasting that portrays the diverse sources of and issues surrounding nutrients - including management and impacts to the environment.

State Agriculture Department officials, agricultural and environmental scientists, municipal wastewater treatment plant operators, farmers, regulators, agricultural and environmental non-governmental organizations, and others will describe the challenges of managing, monitoring and capturing nutrients in the environment.

Conference sponsors also include the Environment and Natural Resources Institute in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, the Penn State Institutes of Energy and Environment, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Pennsylvania Bay Education Office, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

Carbon emissions associated with the conference location's energy use will be offset by carbon credits generated by Pinehurst Farms in Danville and donated by the Environmental Credit Corporation.

Early registration will be accepted until May 1. For registration fees and other information, contact the Office of Conferences and Short Courses by phone at (814) 865-8301 or toll-free at (877) 778-2937 or by e-mail at shortcourse@psu.edu, or visit the Web at http://conferences.cas.psu.edu. For more information about conference content, contact Saacke Blunk at ksaackeblunk@psu.edu or (814) 863-8756.

POSTED 080426_1100 ET