Engineering Change: Agriculture Conservation in Lancaster
Key Player in Lancaster
Lancaster County is a central part of Pennsylvania's strategy to improve stream water quality, and Kent Bitting is a key player in the efforts to implement the projects to get it there. Kent is the District Engineer at the Lancaster County Conservation District. Over his years of service with the district, his responsibilities have grown to the point where he now manages five agriculture technicians and engineering specialists who implement dozens of agriculture conservation projects every year.
A Start in Industry
Before Kent began his career, he studied Agriculture and Biological Engineering at Penn State. He also minored in environmental engineering, which helped him start working in the private sector, focusing on water and wastewater system designs. That time built up a wealth of experience for Kent. After more than 16 years in industry, he transitioned to the Lancaster County Conservation District so that he could make a more direct impact on local agriculture and community well-being. He's been at the district ever since.
Concrete People Skills
One of Kent's favorite parts of his job has always been building relationships with farmers. He believes technical expertise can only go so far without the ability to communicate effectively and understand the needs of the farmers and landowners the district serves. "Honestly, it's a lot of people skills," Kent emphasized, but he also noted several other skills are valuable for agriculture engineers, such as water resource hydraulics and concrete design.
Making Change
These days it's more likely to find him at his desk reviewing a design than out in a pasture drawing one up. A major component of Kent's role as the district's professional engineer, or PE, is project management. He stays on top of reviewing and signing off on designs completed by the engineering staff, reviewing permitting requirements and bills, and ensuring that each project aligns with what farmers truly need on their operation. Kent is committed to approaching every project with empathy and understanding, pointing out, "We're not here to make money. We're here to make change." Despite that, Kent is diligent to ensure the finances of each project meet the requirements of grants and other funding programs while also making fiscal sense for the farmers.
Intellectually Rewarding
Some of Kent's favorite projects have involved designing liquid waste storage facilities which allows farmers to store large quantities of highly nutrient dense watery manure for several months until it can be applied as a fertilizer when crops need it. Without these facilities, farmers need to spread manure at all times of the year, which can negatively affect water quality and not serve any benefit for crop growth.Â
Liquid waste storage facility projects require careful attention to elevation changes, structural calculations, and hydraulic considerations. These projects are challenging work that Kent finds intellectually rewarding.
Building Support for Agriculture
Kent's career reflects a deep commitment to both engineering excellence and community-centered conservation. His transition from private-sector design work to serving farmers directly demonstrates his belief in using technical expertise to create meaningful, lasting change. His work underscores a simple but powerful philosophy: engineering is not just about building structures—it's about building trust, improving livelihoods, and supporting the future of local agriculture.
Interested in learning more about careers in agricultural conservation engineering? Check out these other articles in this career profiles series:
Interested in a career in agricultural conservation? Check out the PA Ag Conservation job board to find currently open job postings within this sector, including for engineering-related positions.
