The Alliance recently completed a project providing best management practices (BMPs) on a dairy farm in Juniata County, Pennsylvania. Nestled between Shade Mountain to the north and Tuscarora Mountain to the south, the county is the epitome of rural Pennsylvania, with rivers and creeks meandering through deep valleys and towering ridges.

Like many other counties in central Pennsylvania, Juniata County has an incredibly rich agricultural history. Most runoff from this agricultural activity, however, ends up in the county’s aptly named Juniata River. For an area so deeply connected to the land, helping farms become more sustainable is essential to preserving the history and culture so important to residents.

two people paddle a canoe in front of a bridge

Juniata River also offers many different recreational opportunities like hiking, fishing, and paddling. Photo credit: Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau

Breaking ground in the summer of 2025, the Alliance facilitated BMPs on one Juniata County farm, including a roofed heavy-use area (HUA) with manure storage, a stabilized stream crossing, and off-stream waterers. With the support of Land O’Lakes, Hershey, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Shenandoah Habitats also planted 7.04 acres of riparian forest buffer.

The farmer also received an incentive payment to add legumes (winter pea and clover) to 40 acres of cover cropped fields, providing more nitrogen for soil, as well as fertilization and pollinator benefits. Additionally, they received an incentive payment for improved bedded pack management, in order to improve cow comfort, reduce odors/flies, improve milk production, and better manage the dry, nutrient-rich bedding material for fertilization in fields.

before and after pictures of a heavy use area on a farm

Resource concerns were obvious prior to construction of the stabilized, roofed HUA. Sediment and nutrients from manure were prone to runoff during storm events, in May 2025, as pictured. There is a stream adjacent to the flooded access road where this polluted runoff poured into.

The roofed HUA was retrofitted between the existing dairy barns to house cows and expand manure storage capacity on the farm. This roofing and stabilization reduces stormwater runoff, ultimately reducing sediment and nutrients going into the Bay. The access road was stabilized, and the adjacent stream was fenced off from the cows, and buffered with trees.

There is already a noticeable difference on the farm since implementation has been completed in the fall of 2025, and we look forward to seeing how the farm can contribute to cleaner water in Juniata County.

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