"Agriculture is part of the solution for the bay" was a statement made by Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, USDA, at a recent event highlighting the designation of the Conewago Creek as one of three "Showcase" watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This is a statement that has been echoed by local officials as well, but it is always nice to here from those higher up the chain. Farmers tend to receive a lot of blame for water quality concerns related to the bay, but for those who truly understand what impacts the water quality of local streams and the Chesapeake Bay they know that land in agriculture is better than developed land. Developed lands are the only land types that have increasing nutrient and sediment loss.
However, the proof is in the pudding and agency officials and legislators need to make sure they don't unwittingly pass laws that may hurt the very sector they are trying to preserve.
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