Farmers get a tough rap for their contribution to pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, but their impact may not be as big as is often presented. Responsibility for the bay’s clean-up is shared by farmers and everyday citizens alike. For example, Nirtrogen comes from three main sources: everyday citizens through municipal waste, septic and chemical fertilizer on the lawn; farmers through both nitrogen fertilizer and manure; and from the atmosphere. 

Last year, American Farmland Trust worked with ten Pennsylvania farmers in a demonstration project to grow crops using less fertilizer than the recommended levels. The project resulted in successfully reducing the amount of nitrogen that could flow into waterways by almost 25,000 pounds. This is a big success, but it is also just the beginning! The Pennsylvania project is step one in a multi-phase process in American Farmland Trust's work to “scale-up conservation.” To see how it works visit this model for success to see how taking small projects that work, creating money-saving policies and programs, and expanding those programs can ensure a cleaner environment while keeping farms in business. 

Here is the latest article from the newsletter.  The BMP Challenge for enhanced nutrient management is a great program that demonstrates how farmers can be a great boon to efforts in water clean-up, and for less.  Stay tuned in coming months when we hope to produce a video podcast where we can interview the farmers and learn about the how and why they take on this conservation practice.  

10 Farmers Make 24,000 Lbs of Nitrogen Fertilizer Disappear!

Last year, ten Pennsylvania farmers took on American Farmland Trust's Best Management Program Challenge to grow their crops on their fields using less nitrogen fertilizer than the recommended levels. The results of their year long experiment are good news for the environment and the wallet! In 2008, these farmers reduced a total of 24,658 pounds of nitrogen that otherwise would have been applied to their fields. Not only did these farmers remove thousands of pounds of nitrogen that could have ended up clouding the Chesapeake, they did it at a fraction of the cost of other nitrogen removal strategies—at only $2.74 per pound versus the up to $8-9 per pound it is estimated it could cost tax payers to remove the nutrient through other means. It isn’t just farmers that can make a difference; you can do your part too! Whether you live in the Mid-Atlantic or in the plains of North Dakota, water always makes its way downhill. Find out what you can do: check-out the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s nitrogen calculator and take a challenge of your own!

There is nothing like standing on the white marble steps at the base Lincoln memorial, surrounded by families fighting the chill watching the seagull danced above the iced over reflecting pool, while a crowd of almost two million people shimmers like heat-waves on the horizon to case one to succumb to a sense of awe.  While winding through the streets like a water droplet in a river of people, I strained to come-up with an equivalent of scale to comprehend the size of 2 million happy and hopeful citizens.  Nothing compares except for those wild encounters with vast landscapes in the west.  It was a very cold and very epic day. 

I marched down to the mall toting a video camera, No Farms No Food stickers, and tiny cards with links to American Farmland Trusts new 9 in '09 policy recommendations for farms, food, and the environment.  As always the little No Farms No Food stickers with its simple message garnered some attention, but mostly I spent the day listening and filming bits and pieces of the day.  From the experience I made a video, which can be watched on YouTube. Enjoy!  

So with some trepidation, I begin my first blog post.  In the future, I will fill this blog with articles that I have written for the American Farmland Trust about agriculture's efforts in the Chesapeake Bay are to improve water quality, and other farm related news. For now, however, I will start with a little about myself.  I consider myself fairly new to the Mid-Atlantic area, as I moved here just about a year ago.  Previously I inhabited the drier and less popluated mountains of Arizona.  Agriculture, particular agroecology, and "sustainable" agriculture have been interests of mine for many years now and my majors as an undergrad were agriculture, and somewhat randomly, photography.  I am currently completing a masters thesis on communications strategies for promoting food production and consumption ethics.  Now I reside in Washington, DC and work as a Communications Coordinator for the American Farmland Trust.  The Chesapeake Watershed Network, seems like a good place to meet others in the area that are working on similar issues and to hopefully provide some useful information as well.  I look forward to learning from the community!

 Gretchen