Venango County Youth Agriculture Initiative
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On August 15, 2025, the Venango Conservation District received an Environmental Education Grant from the Department of Environmental Protection for our "Venango County Youth Agriculture Education Initiative".
The Venango County Youth Agriculture Initiative program is a nonformal education project, for students in sixth through twelve grade in which they learn about sustainable agriculture and nonpoint source pollution management topics discussed in the classroom by providing an outdoor experience at a local farm in Venango County. The project will address several Pennsylvania education standards in environmental literacy and sustainability, and the grant program priorities of climate change and water. This project will allow approximately 50-100 students in grades six through twelve and their teachers the opportunity to engage in two days of agriculture education activities. The first day will provide an overview of farming systems, watersheds, nonpoint source pollution, and more. The second day and main portion of the program will take place at a local farm in Venango County. By the end of the two-part program, students will demonstrate agricultural and environmental literacy by understanding the source and value of agriculture, potential resource concerns resulting from agricultural production, and agricultural BMPs that address nonpoint source pollution. Students and teaches get to see a farming operation in real time and get to talk to a farmer about the tools and knowledge required to manage the operation. We will also be working with students in rotating stations on the farm which will cover topics of soil health, manure handling practices, and pollution prevention techniques involving the use of agricultural BMPs. Students will take part in assessing the water quality in a stream flowing through the farm property. Our watershed specialist will engage the students in a macroinvertebrate study where they will use kick nets to sample the aquatic insect life present in the stream to determine a “water quality index.” After determining the health of the waterway, students will draw conclusions about whether certain BMPs can be implemented to reduce nonpoint source pollution, or – if the water quality is determined as healthy – what factors are present that contribute to a healthy waterway. At the end of this event, we hope that students will leave this event being able to tie all the pieces together of why we need to protect water quality emphasizing the slogan “we all live downstream” and how we can help others to protect natural resources. To sustain the Venango County Youth Agriculture Education Initiative beyond the 2025 DEP Environmental Education grant period, the VCD will look to other sources of funding to continue and expand the program to other audiences in Venango County. 
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“Financial and other support for the VENANGO COUNTY YOUTH AGRICULTURE INITIATIVE has been provided by the Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Education Grants Program.”
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