UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- From nutrient management, rainfall simulators targeting runoff, forested buffers, conservation practices and grazing management to snakes, backyard composting, fly-casting and tatoos, the Natural Resource Conservation Partnership Area of Penn State's Ag Progress Days has something for everyone.

The event, sponsored by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences Aug. 20-22, will be held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College on Pa. Route 45.

Encompassing almost five acres of the 200-acre Ag Progress Days site, the Conservation Partnership area is full of demonstrations, presentations, tours and exhibits. More than 15 federal, state and local agencies and private entities will be represented.

Tours will include a Forestry Tour that leads you on an easy walking trail through parts of "Penn's Woods." The Conservation Tour will take you to grassy waterways, stream crossings, diversions and terraces. A Grazing Tour will present facts on grazing assistance programs for producers, native warm-season grasses for biofuels and carbon sequestration, and wildlife.

This year a tour will be offered on forested riparian buffers to see a tree planting done at the Ag Progress Days site. Visitors will learn what forested riparian buffers can do for a stream and why they are important.

The presentation tent will feature a grazing forum where farmers can hear a panel of their peers discuss what's working on their farms and what isn't, as well as a presentation on phosphorous nutrient management.

Representatives from the state's Conservation Commission, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Conservation Service will be available to answer questions. The dirt and gravel road program, which is reducing sediment in streams as well as making neighborhoods cleaner, and a one-day presentation featuring the "Snakes of Pennsylvania" will round out the programs.

The main exhibition tent will feature displays for kids and adults from federal, state and local agencies and private organizations. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will have a fish tank and will offer fly-casting exhibitions once each day.

Interactive exhibits will include invertebrates, worm containers, touch boxes and stick-on tattoos. Conservation professionals will be on hand to discuss 2002 Farm Bill programs and provide information on farm and backyard conservation and soil types.

Other exhibits will focus on composting, nutrient management, best-management practices, forestry, fencing and watershed conservation.

Looking like an outdoor shower, a rainfall simulator will demonstrate the benefits of analyzing field and pasture runoff. The rainfall simulator will run at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day. Other times may be offered. Additional demonstration areas will show conservation practices on the ground.

Several grass plantings will show how native plantings can improve soil health and water conservation efforts. National Plant Material Center experts will be on hand to discuss the best planting for particular soil types. Livestock watering equipment, fencing types and no-till planting also will be demonstrated. Visitors also can spend some time relaxing in the backyard garden, courtesy of Blackhawk Nursery.

Stop by the information booth on the main grounds or at the Natural Resource Conservation Partnership for times and details of the tours and presentations. Exhibits and demonstrations are ongoing.

For more information, contact Stacy Mitchell of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service at (717) 237-2208.

Hours for Ag Progress Days are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday. Admission and parking are free. For more information, call (800) PSU-1010 toll-free through Aug. 22 or visit the Ag Progress Days Web site at http://apd.cas.psu.edu.

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EDITORS: Contact Stacy Mitchell at (717) 237-2208. For more information on Penn State's Ag Progress Days, contact Chuck Gill at 814-863-2713.

Contact: Jeff Mulhollem jjm29@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax #212