COVER CROP DEMONSTRATION PLOT GRANTS
SWCS Cover Crop Mini Grants – 2019-2020
Penn State Extension – Heidi Reed
Location: York County
Farmer partner: Andrew Flinchbaugh
Project: Broadcast seed into soybeans between leaf yellowing and leaf drop. 5 acres of cover crops plots will include crimson clover, hairy vetch, small grain, clover/small grain, vetch/small grain. Spring field day will be planned.
Snyder County Conservation District – Barry Spangler
Location: Snyder County
Farmer partner: Glenn Carper
Project: In the month of August, drill 2-3 different cover crop mixtures in plots on a six acre field. This is typically the planting window after small grain harvest. Spring field day will be planned.
Montgomery County Conservation District – Jessica Buck
Location: Montgomery County Farmer partner: Andrew Frankenfield
Project: Cover crop mix of annual rygrass, crimson cloplanted in late September after vegetable harvest. Goals are to provide a living biomass to reduce soil erosion, provide nitrogen to the following crop, and reduce soil compaction and fragipan issues. Spring field day will be planned.
The Keystone Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) is offering an exciting opportunity to further the goals of soil and water conservation through the promotion of cover crops.
Application submittal period begins on March 1 and closes on April 30 of each calendar year. Amounts award $250. Awards determined by executive committee. Apply here
RECIPIENTS OF KEYSTONE SWCS CHAPTER SCHOLARSHPS
The Keystone Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society is offering two $500 scholarships to college undergraduate students in the fields of agriculture, environmental studies, soils, or natural resources, who are currently attending college in Pennsylvania. Applicants should have sophomore, junior, or senior status. Applications are to be postmarked no later than May 15 of each year. Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of a combination of academic merit and program of study, quality of the student’s essay and application, financial need, and educational and career goals that are consistent with the SWCS mission. The SWCS strives to foster the science and art of natural resource conservation. Our work targets conservation of soil, water, and related natural resources on working land— land which is used to produce food and fiber. SWCS also promotes other services that improve the quality of life people experience in rural and urban communities. We work to discover, develop, implement, and improve ways to use land that sustains its productive capacity and enhances the environment. The cash award scholarships will be awarded in June of each year. Successful applicants will be notified by postal mail soon after the committee has arrived at a decision. We request that winners of previous years not apply a second time. Apply here
Please make this information available to students at your college or university. Feel free to distribute copies to other departments that have eligible students. One of this years scholarships was once again made possible by a generous donation from the Pennsylvania chapter of the Association of Retired Conservation Service Employees (ARCSE).
Mary Lloyd Smith, Chair
Scholarship Committee, Keystone Chapter, SWCS
4177 E. Main Street
Belleville, PA 17004
E-mail: soillady0504@gmail.com
INTERNATIONAL SWCS SCHOLARSHIPS
The Soil and Water Conservation Society has three opportunities at the international level for scholarships. The Society’s Awards Committee will evaluate and rank nominees. Recommendations will be presented to the Board of Directors for final approval. Recognition of all scholarship recipients will be made at the Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference. Please visit www.swcs.org to apply.
Please be aware that you must be a member of the Soil and Water Conservation Society for at least 1 year to apply for these scholarships. Opportunities for scholarships are as follows:
1. Research Scholarship—made possible by Kenneth E. Grant
2. Soil Conservation Scholarship—made possible by Donald A. Williams
3. Student Leader Conservation Scholarship—made possible by Melville H. Cohee