Focused on Farms
Farmers throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed need support to implement crucial conservation practices on their land.
A Necessity for Clean Water
Agriculture is the largest source of pollution to the rivers and streams that feed the Chesapeake Bay. While many well-operated farms employ sound conservation practices that protect water quality, a lack of funding and technical resources prevent many farmers from implementing such practices. As a result, excess nutrients, sediment, bacteria, and toxins flow into local waterways and eventually reach the Chesapeake Bay.
If we are to reach our clean water goals throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, we must address pollution running off farmland. Farmers are stewards of the land, but need support to implement projects such as installing fencing to keep livestock out of waterways, properly storing manure, planting streamside buffers, and many more.
Telling the Story
Since 2018, the Coalition has produced several videos showcasing farmers in Pennsylvania and Virginia making the compelling case for investing in agricultural conservation practices. Sharing their motivation for implementing conservation practices on their farms, the videos highlight not only the many benefits of the conservation practices to the health of their farms, but also the positive ripple effects to local waterways and the economy.
Multiple videos received recognition from the prestigious Viddy Awards, one of the largest competitions in film and video. For the videos featuring Pennsylvania farmers, Ezra Thrush, Senior Director of Government Affairs at PennFuture, said “These videos are instrumental in guiding lawmakers and their constituents—both urban and rural—toward understanding how it is in their community's own interest that the Pennsylvania General Assembly provide farmers with the funding they need to ensure healthy farms and, in return, healthy water for all Pennsylvanians.” Added Pat Calvert, Policy and Campaigns Manager at Virginia Conservation Network and Virginia State Lead for the Coalition, “Since these videos were released, we have since seen significant increases to funding support for farms and agencies who design and implement Bay-saving, on-the-ground conservation actions.”
Moving Forward
The Coalition and many of its member organizations are constantly fighting for increased investments to support farmers to implement conservation practices on their land. These activities include educating state legislators on the need to fund agricultural cost-share programs in their state, coordinating with partners to connect farmers with available resources, and meeting with Members of Congress, and officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to secure vital funding for agricultural conservation through the Farm Bill.