A344.ancMter Fanning, Saturday, November 23, 1996
Sound Conservation Practices Take Commitment, Time
(Continued from Page A 1)
Feeg Dairy
Womelsdorf
The entire “package” of conser
vation was highlighted at the
Roland Feeg Dairy Farm in
Womelsdorf. Altogether, Feeg
farms 390 acres of com, wheat,
soybeans, and hay.
‘This is a fine example of as
nice a farmland package as you can
gel in Berks County,” said Randy
McCormack, Berks County dis
trict conservationist, who provided
a tour of the conservation practices
at the dairy.
One of the long-term commit
ments Feeg made began in 1962,
when his father-in-law installed
sod waterways to protect the soil
from leaving the farm by capturing
runoff.
In the years since, according to
John Fior, soil conservationist
with the Natural Resources Con
servation Service (formerly Soil
Conservation Service), Feeg has
installed 6,800 feet of grass water
ways and 3,300 feet of diversions
on the farm.
Total surface drainage is 15,700
feet
Feeg maintains 120 milking
cows and 60 young stock of Hols
tein cows. Manure is stored in an
earthen waste storage pond with a
concrete bottom, which holds 4-6
months of storage. The capacity of
the lagoon is 250,000 gallons,
which is pumped out and spread
three times per year in the spring
and fall. Bedded packed manure
from dry cow and young stock
During the tour, 10 students from Tulpehocken High School In Bernvllle also
Inspected the conservation practices at the Feeg Farm. Christine Williams, ag science
Instructor at Tulpehocken, explained that the students, studying environmental agri
culture, were looking at the various water quality control techniques on the farms.
This concrete settlement basin is the mainstay of barnyard runoff control at the
dairy operated by Wilbur and Arlene Hershey in Bethel.
Water Quality Tour Looks At Four Berks County Farms
facilities is spread every 2-3
months.
McCormack said that the man
ure is looked on not as a waste, but
as a resource to match the crop
needs.
Feeg said his manure has been
tested and reports that it is good for
the farm. Soil tests show that he
needs potassium, but phosphorous
levels are good on the farm.
Contour strips are maintained
on 196 acres, and field stripcrop
ping totals 151 acres, according to
the conservation district.
Between the sod waterways
(planted with tall fescue and peren
nial ryegrass), the contours are
rotated for one year in beans, two
years of com, and back to wheat.
McCormack said, “By putting
these practices in, we’re cutting
erosion 50 to 75 percent.”
To maintain water quality on the
Feeg Dairy, roof water flows to an
8-inch pipe to a grass diversion.
Also, to make use of an existing
spring, 2-inch pipe brings fresh
spring water from a springbox to a
cement trough a the rate of about
250 gallons per minute. Feeg said
the trough, in winter, never
freezes.
Clyde Myers, Berks extension
agent, told those at the tour that
many of the practices took 30 years
or more to develop and provide a
fine example of what conservation
farmers are doing in the county to
protect water quality.
Martin Dairy
Womelsdorf
At the Floyd Martin dairy in
Womelsdorf, one big conservation
practice involves combining
stormwater runoff from the bam
and milkhouse roofs into an 8-inch
pipe into a culvert at the edge of his
farm.
The pipe is protected by a
screen, called a “critter barrier,” to
keep the pipe open when it rains.
Martin, who operates a 40 cow
(milking) and 30 (young stock)
dairy, has implemented an array of
conservation practices to protect
water flowing into the Tulpehock
en Creek. One of those is 2,255
feet of streambank fencing used in
conjunction with a crushed stone
cattle crossing over the
Tulpehocken.
The fencing was installed with
the use of Act 319 cost-share
money. The fencing not only bene
fits the cows, but prevents erosion
by keeping the cows out of the
creek.
Martin said he maintains growth
around the fencing by positioning
posts close to the creek and using a
weed whacker to trim only the lar
ger, more troublesome weeds.
Clyde Myers, extension agent,
said, “We hope more farmers will
consider stream bank fencing. We
think it’s a win/win situation, both
from an animal aspect and a water
quality aspect.”
However, money from ASCS to
finance streambank protection is
“drying up,” said Jack Schonely,
Berks County Conservation Dis
trict manager. As a result, the dis
tricts and extension are looking for
ways to help the farmers finance
the fencing, which Schonely said
Money from ASCS to finance stream bank protection Is
“drying up,” said Jack Schonely, Berks County Conserva
tion District manager. As a result, the districts and exten
sion are looking for ways to help the farmers finance the
fencing, which Schonely said acts as “buffer zones to les
sen the sediment going into the Blue Marsh Lake.”
acts as “buffer zones to lessen the
sediment going into the Blue
Marsh Lake.”
Dehart Farm
Mt. Aetna
Some of the conservation prac
tices were installed decades ago at
the Dehart Farm, formerly the
Bohn Farm, now operated by John
Schueller in Mt. Aetna.
The farm includes 225 acres of
com, soybeans, and alfalfa.
Some of the cropland terraces,
according to tour guide John Fior
of NRCS, built before 1980 had
“lifespans only about 20 years
At the Floyd Martin dairy In Womelsdorf, one big conser
vation practice Involves combining stormwater runoff from
the bam and mllkhouse roofs Into an 8-Inch pipe into a
culvert at the edge of his farm. The pipe Is protected by a
screen, called a “critter barrier,“ to keep the pipe open when
It rains.
The settlement basin, constructed at a cost of $7,500 with
Chesapeake Bay program cost-share money, collects a
little more than a foot of manure and prevents it from run
ning to a farm pond within a 100 yards of the barnyard. Wil
bur Hershey, with hands on fencing in center, inspects the
basin.
without major overhaul work.”
The dairy operated by Schueller
includes 55 milking and 45 head of
young stock. The farm totals about
291 acres, of which about 225 are
tillable, according to Schueller.
Half of the acres are in cropland
terraces.
At the farm, stream bank fenc
ing includes 3,655 feet of high ten
sile wire. Two cattle crossings are
made of concrete waffle slats. A
stream bank filter strip is used to
stabilize the stream banks, with
controlled grazing in a fenced area.
Diversions total 3,300 feet, and
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