UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A Program Cosponsored By Penn State's College Of Agricultural Sciences Certifies And Recognizes Environmentally Proactive Farms To Promote Environmentally Safe Agriculture Practices Among Livestock Producers.

Called Pennsylvania Environmental Agricultural Conservation Certification of Excellence (PEACCE), the program also is sponsored by PennAg Industries, Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and the U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service.

"The unique aspect of the program is that various state organizations have come together with a common goal to promote environmentally safe agriculture practices among livestock producers," says Robb Meinen, dairy and animal science educator for Penn State Cooperative Extension. "PEACCE is a four-level program that is available to any livestock operation. After a producer successfully completes the certification, their farm receives a sign display that publicly recognizes their achievement."

PEACCE is a consolidation of programs developed by Penn State, the National Pork Producers Council and conservation district personnel from Lancaster, Chester and Berks counties. The program is free, voluntary and confidential and applies to single and multi-species operations. "In July 2002 the PEACCE program was officially released to all Pennsylvania producers, with 20 pilot farms receiving certification and a sign for successfully completing the program," says Meinen. "This innovative program not only benefits the environment, but sends a very strong and positive public message about participating farms' environmental stewardship practices."

To qualify for the PEACCE program, producers must complete three steps. The first is called the environmental awareness course, a one-day educational program conducted by Penn State. The course addresses current issues, regulations and common sense practices for environmental awareness; stewardship and sustainability; manure and nutrient application; odor; gaseous emissions and nuisance issues; and environmental laws and regulations in agriculture.

"To date, over 1,100 people have completed the environmental awareness course," says Meinen. "About 80 percent have been producers and the remainder have been agricultural-business professionals, conservation district employees and extension personnel."

Step two of the program is a nationally recognized, third-party, on-farm assessment. America's Clean Water Foundation funds this portion of the program, which is administered by Environmental Management Solutions LLC, of Des Moines, Iowa. Penn State coordinates assessment applications. This voluntary, confidential and non-regulatory program allows for detailed on-farm assessments free of charge.

"Two assessors, trained to evaluate farms of specific species, are assigned to the farm. All biosecurity requirements are followed by the assessors," Meinen says. "The assessment identifies environmental strengths and offers sensible recommendations for improving environmental challenges in overall site appearance and management, building management, manure storage management and effects of odors, mortality management and nutrient management and manure application. Currently 485 livestock operations have completed the second step of the PEACCE program."

Producers who complete the first two steps are eligible to participate in the third and final step of the program, comprised of a conservation checklist administered by personnel from the local conservation district. Trained technicians from the county conservation district and/or Penn State Cooperative Extension use a standard, comprehensive checklist to verify that the producer has met PEACCE requirements.

"Approved farms are sent to the State Certification Board for final approval. Upon final PEACCE approval, the farm will receive a sign and be publicly recognized for meeting and exceeding the environmental standards of the program. Forty-nine operations have successfully completed the PEACCE program and received the farm sign."

The fourth step of PEACCE is maintaining certification by receiving continuing education credits and by participating in a county conservation district status review. These steps are to be completed every three years. The Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship Curriculum will be used as the continuing education tool and will be adapted to specifically fit Pennsylvania issues. The Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship Curriculum is a national education program developed through the collaborative effort of 15 land-grand universities, the EPA Ag Center and USDA.

The educational curriculum covers environmental awareness, land application of manure and whole farm nutrient planning, outdoor air quality, manure storage systems, and species-specific dietary strategies to reduce nutrient excretion.

"PEACCE offers numerous benefits to producers," says Meinen. "It helps identify potential environmental challenges overlooked by producers involved in day-to-day farm activities, enriches and enhances agriculture's public image, and promotes environmentally safe agricultural practices. The program also may minimize the risk of nuisance issues and litigation."

Producers who have completed the program see it as a worthwhile initiative. "The time involved in the program was painless and I came away with an improved awareness," says Mark Wolfskill of Robesonia. "If livestock producers lead by example, then this is the first step in encouraging others to take advantage of the opportunities the PEACCE program or other similar programs can provide."

For more information about PEACCE, visit the Web at http://nutrient.psu.edu, or contact Meinen at 814-865-2987 or rjm134@psu.edu.

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EDITORS: Contact Rob Meinen at 814-865-2987 or rjm134@psu.edu.

Jeff Mulhollem Office 814-863-2719 FAX 814-863-9877