Masonic Village Earns Environmental Stewardship Award
Masonic Village at Elizabethtown was recognized with an Environmental Stewardship Award at the annual Pennsylvania Cattlemen's Association banquet on March 25 for its conservation practices and its commitment to protect soil and water resources while operating a viable beef cattle and farm enterprise.
The Masonic Village was one of the earliest farms in Lancaster County to practice cropland to grassland conversion conservation, beginning six years ago. This effort included converting more than 200 acres of cropland into grazing land, which in turn saves on the loss of top soil. Top soil erosion contributes sediments, chemicals and nutrients to water sources. Farm staff also built grass buffers between the fields and local streams to prevent erosion, and fenced off portions of the streams to keep cattle from accessing them.
Several approved stream crossings have been constructed so cattle can access both sides of the stream with very minor disruption. The farm has acreage of no-till land enrolled in the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Masonic Village has recently partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to establish a legacy sediment model along 3,200 feet of the Conoy Creek. The project, completed in 2009, reduces silt and nutrients from entering the stream, and subsequently, the Chesapeake Bay.
The site of the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown was selected 100 years ago in-part because of the natural resources the land offered. In its 100th year of providing services, Masonic Village continues to use and preserve these resources which add to the comfort and support of its residents and the community.
On April 16, the Masonic Village will host a one-day Nutrient Trading in Pennsylvania Conference, sponsored by the PA Association of Conservation Districts and the departments of Agriculture and Environmental Protection. The Pennsylvania Cattlemen's Association annual Field Day will be held at the Masonic Village farm Saturday, July 17.
For more information, please contact:
Debra L. Davis
Public Relations Coordinator
(717) 367-1121, ext. 33529
ddavis@masonicvillagespa.org
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