Conservation District

The Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) held its annual tree/seedling sale again this year.  Order pickup days were April 16 & 17 at the Conservation District office.

SCCD offered the following trees: Norway Spruce, Eastern White Pine, American Persimmon, Red Oak, American Hazelnut, Silver Maple, Chinese Chestnut, Domestic Apple, Common Pear, Black Elderberry, Honey Crisp Apple, Starfire Peach and Berkely Blueberries.  Also available were wildflower seeds, deer plot seed mix, bluebird houses, tree protection tubes with stakes, and soil test kits.

Download or view a more detailed wrap-up with photos about our sale.

Proceeds from this sale go towards SCCD education outreach.

For more information regarding 2025’s sale or to be placed on a mailing list for 2026, reach us at (570) 837-3000 x0 or sccd@snydercd.org.

The Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) conducted Rain Barrel Workshops on the evenings of February 26 and March 20 at its Middleburg Office. Seven (7) attended the February workshop while people from 25 households came to the March workshop.

Each household received a free rain barrel for attending the workshop. Click here for a wrap up of the February 26 workshop with photos.

For more information regarding this workshop or rain barrels, contact Connor Steffen, SCCD Watershed Specialist, at (570) 837-3000 x8.

The Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD, Conservation District) held its annual Farmers Winter Meeting on February 14, 2025, at Christ Community United Methodist Church, 3939 Park Road, outside of Selinsgrove. One hundred (100) attended the meeting. A crop consultant, federal, state and conservation district staff members, and a Penn State Extension educator gave various presentations.

A summary with photos can be downloaded here. For more information, contact Barry Spangler, SCCD Ag. Conservation Technician, by calling (570) 837-3000 x5.

Some of the staffing promoting agricultural environmental compliance during this meeting and throughout this program, including planning for this meeting, was financed by in part by an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant provided by the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of EPA, DEP, or any of its subagencies.

All Conservation District, USDA and Penn State programs and services are offered on a non-discrimination basis. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Penn State is an affirmative action equal opportunity university.

Public agencies participating in this meeting do not indicate any endorsement of any business, advice or products listed, mentioned or displayed during the meeting.

The Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD, Conservation District) was invited to speak and set up a display about safety during the Eastern Snyder County Child Safety Awareness Meeting on March 1 at the Snyder County Produce Auction near Port Trevorton. Agricultural compliance was also briefly mentioned and materials related to manure management planning, conservation practices, etc. were at its display.

The SCCD was one of many agencies, organizations and fire companies that gave talks, conducted demonstrations, and set up display tables with handouts. The meeting was sponsored by the Port Trevorton and Fremont Fire Departments.

The Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) completed its 2024 Annual Report. Click here to download a copy. 

For more information, contact us at (570) 837-3000 x0 or sccd@snydercd.org. 

The Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) held a tour on Friday, November 15, 2024, that visited and viewed conservation practices, called best management practices (BMPs), installed on Snyder County farms to prevent nutrient and sediment pollution. The SCCD cooperated with USDA-NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) Middleburg Field Office with this tour.

Sixteen (16) invitees from the Snyder County Commissioners office, state legislator offices, Snyder County Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) committee and SCCD Board of Directors and staff went on the tour. 

Practices viewed were a roofed poultry manure storage, 2 roofed animal heavy use areas (AHUAs, barnyard improvements), roof runoff controls, underground outlets, riparian forested buffer, animal walkways, pasture fencing, and watering systems. Financial support came from one or more of these programs: SCCD Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP), SCCD County Action Plan (CAP), and USDA-NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). For more tour details and photos, check out this write-up.

For more information about this Tour or SCCD programs, contact the Conservation District at 570-837-3000 x0. For EQIP and other USDA programs contact the USDA-NRCS Middleburg Field Office at 570-837-0007 x3.

Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Conservation District staffing for this project promoting agricultural conservation practices and environmental compliance was financed by in part by an EPA grant provided by the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of EPA, DEP, or any of its subagencies. All Conservation District & USDA programs and services are offered on a non-discrimination basis. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

The PA Manure Management Plan (MMP) workbook and guidance (formally known as the “Land Application of Manure-Manure Management Plan Guidance) has been updated by the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and published in the PA Bulletin on April 27, 2024.

This means that any agricultural operation:

1. that produces or applies manure, and
2. is not a concentrated animal operation (CAO) under Act 38, and
3. does not have a volunteer nutrient management plan (NMP),

it will need to update its current MMP (if it mees one of criteria below) or develop a MMP using the new 2024 workbook format.

Operations currently having a MMP using the old 2011 format will need to update their MMP using the new 2024 workbook format if at least one of the changes listed below have taken place or will take place (as per DEP email):

1. A net increase of greater than 10% occurs in AEUs per acre.
2. A change in crop management that results in a reduction of greater than 20% in nitrogen necessary for realistic expected crop yields or the amount the crops will utilize for an individual crop year.
3. If calculations in the plan are in error.
4. If a BMP different than that called for in the approved plan, is proposed to address a manure management or stormwater management concern.
5. If, after the first three (3) years of implementing the plan, actual yields are less than 80% of the expected crop yields used in the development of the plan.
6. If alternative organic nutrient sources will replace or augment nutrient sources described in the plan.
7. If additional lands are brought into the operation through purchase, lease or renting.
8. If there is a change in the manure management system that is expected to result in a different nutrient content that requires a change in manure application rates.

Please note that operational changes may also trigger necessary updates to agricultural erosion & sedimentation (Ag. E&S) or NRCS style conservation plans.

Non-CAO operations who currently have a MMP using the 2011 format will still be valid if changes have not or will not take place.

Some, but not all, of the new 2024 MMP format changes include:

1. An animal density calculation,
2. An indication if the manure spreader will be calibrated prior to manure application,
3. Additional questions regarding agricultural process wastewater (i.e. milkhouse wastewater, and
4. Spreading manure based on crop nitrogen (N) needs will require nutrient balance sheets (NMSs). Soil tests less than 3 years-old and less than 20 ppm phosphorus (P) are still required.

A separate simpler MMP version has been developed for very small operations under specific conditions.

• New 2024 MMP Guidance & Workbook (PDF Version)
• Nutrient Balance Sheet (NBS) Materials — required when applying manure based on nitrogen (N) crop needs.
  • NBS User Guide
  • NBS; Word Version
  • NBS; Excel Version (Penn State Extension PA Nutrient Management Program website)

Please note that operational changes may also trigger necessary updates to agricultural erosion & sedimentation (Ag. E&S) or NRCS style conservation plans.

If you have any questions, reach out to Barry Spangler, SCCD Ag. Conservation Technician, at (570) 837-3000 x5, and he will try to answer them.