Lancaster, Pennsylvania — Today American Farmland Trust (AFT) will donate 957 nutrient credits worth over $4,700 to Lancaster Farmland Trust (LFT).

Three Lancaster County farmers participating in American Farmland Trust’s Best Management Practices (BMP) Challenge generated the nutrient credits this growing season. The BMP Challenge permits farmers to field-test fertilizer rate reductions and reimburses them if they incur lower yields as a result. Because concern about lost profits is a hurdle for many farmers in adopting BMP’s, AFT’s tool enables farmers to try new conservation techniques in a risk-free environment while reducing nutrient loadings to improve
water quality.

The nitrogen credits were certified through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Nutrient Trading Program. Nutrient credits generated by farmers can be purchased through the state Department of Environmental Protection by entities that don’t meet water pollution standards.

“We are really excited that American Farmland Trust is engaging farmers through the BMP Challenge in Lancaster County. The nutrient credits generated by the project could provide another source of income for our farmers, and it’s one more piece of the puzzle in preserving agriculture as a way of life in Lancaster County,” said Karen Martynick, executive director for the Lancaster Farmland Trust.

“Lancaster Farmland Trust’s partnership with AFT supports our Smart Farms program and our efforts to foster good stewardship of the land through our unique relationship with Plain Sect farmers in Lancaster County,” adds Darren Shenk, stewardship coordinator for LFT.

“The BMP Challenge is an innovative tool that allows farmers to improve their environmental impact on their land without compromising their ability to compete economically,” said Jim Baird, American Farmland Trust’s Mid-Atlantic Director. “The success of farmers like these, in Pennsylvania and other states—with a voluntary tool like the BMP Challenge, also shows that regulations are not always the best way to clean up regional waterways. That’s an important idea for everyone to remember as federal agencies develop a new strategy for restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay and the creeks, streams and rivers that feed it.”