PROMOTING HEALTHY AGRICULTURE
Farmer Mary Nachreiner gladly contacted neighbors near her 80-acre farm, asking them to join her in petitioning for the Bear Creek AEA's formation. "I really like the fact that we are trying to keep farmland farmland," says Nachreiner, owner of Mary's Organic Farm, which sells gourmet beef from Belted Galloways and certified organic eggs. Neighbors agreed. Many had participated in a previous farmland preservation program that had expired. The AEA offered an opportunity to regain an income tax credit to support ongoing and improving conservation practices. Her farm implements rotational grazing and annual soil- and water-quality tests. "We are very much into sustainability and having healthy soil, healthy water, and healthy animals," Nachreiner says.
- Joanie Stiers
Farmer Mary Nachreiner gladly contacted neighbors near her 80-acre farm, asking them to join her in petitioning for the Bear Creek AEA's formation. "I really like the fact that we are trying to keep farmland farmland," says Nachreiner, owner of Mary's Organic Farm, which sells gourmet beef from Belted Galloways and certified organic eggs. Neighbors agreed. Many had participated in a previous farmland preservation program that had expired. The AEA offered an opportunity to regain an income tax credit to support ongoing and improving conservation practices. Her farm implements rotational grazing and annual soil- and water-quality tests. "We are very much into sustainability and having healthy soil, healthy water, and healthy animals," Nachreiner says.
- Joanie Stiers