Introduction: Pennsylvania Farm-a-syst Farm Evaluation System

Farmstead Evaluation

Eighty percent of Pennsylvania’s rural residents rely on groundwater for their drinking water. Surface water is part of every  landscape, from the smallest headwater drainageway to rivers  like the Susquehanna that drain into the Chesapeake Bay. Many farmers rely on well water for their farms and homes, and they may also use surface water to supplement the needs of their livestock or to irrigate crops. Some farm areas and activities have the potential to contaminate wells and streams. Key areas and activities where on-farm water contamination occurs include:

• barnyards and exercise lots
• milking centers
• manure storages and stacking areas
• silage and feed storage areas
• land application of manure
• pesticide and fertilizer storage and handling areas
• petroleum storage areas
• septic system drainage areas
• water wells or springs
• stream corridors

Previous notions that soil and rock layers remove all contaminants from groundwater before it reaches our wells are not necessarily true. The best way to keep contaminants out of well water is to reduce the potential for pollutants to end up in the groundwater.  Preventing groundwater contamination is far easier and less expensive than cleaning it up. Once groundwater is polluted, the solutions include treating the water as it is pumped or obtaining water from a new source.

Degradation of surface water quality can affect livestock,  fish, water-based recreation, and municipal water systems.  Sediment, bacteria, nitrogen, phosphorus, and pesticides are  major pollutants that move from farmsteads to drainageways and streams. Responsible management of potential pollutants on farms reduces the possible negative impacts of poor water quality on farm families, neighbors, and livestock.

Purposes

There are two purposes of the Pennsylvania Farm-A-Syst worksheets. The first is to determine which farmsteads are already managed in an environmentally sound way. These farmsteads  ensure the protection of surface water and groundwater. The  second is to promote awareness of existing site conditions or  practices that threaten the quality of groundwater and surface  water. After identifying potential contamination sources, it is  easier to develop future plans for change that fit the means and needs of individual sites.

Contents

The Pennsylvania Farm-A-Syst package includes a series of  evaluation worksheets. The worksheets can be used individually  or together for a more complete evaluation. Pennsylvania Farm-A-Syst worksheets are available to evaluate:

• Water Well Condition and Construction
• Pesticide and Fertilizer Storage and Handling
• Household Wastewater Treatment System
• Animal Concentration Areas Management
• Milkhouse Waste Management
• Stream and Drainageway Management
• Silage Storage Management
• Animal Waste Storage and Management
• Animal Waste Land Application Management
• Soil Conservation Management

Scoring

The scoring indicates the potential for contamination based  on site conditions and management practices. It does not indicate exactly how much water quality will be affected. Only extensive site investigations can provide such information.

Additional Information

Questions about the worksheets or evaluation and technical  assistance should be directed to your local conservation district office, Penn State Extension office, or USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) field office.

Acknowledgments

Material for the Pennsylvania Farm-A-Syst package was developed by revision of Farm-A-Syst material from the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension, University of Minnesota Extension Service, and the National Farm-A-Syst/Home-A-Syst Program. Additional format and style features for the Pennsylvania package were adapted from the Ontario Environmental Farm Plan published by Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition, Ontario, Canada.

The Pennsylvania Farm-A-Syst evaluation worksheet package was developed with partial funding provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the USDA-NRCS. The development of worksheet revisions and ongoing maintenance of the Pennsylvania Farm-A-Syst program is supported by funds from the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission through the Nutrient Management Education Program.

Pennsylvania Farm-A-Syst is a cooperative effort among Penn State Extension, Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.