Agriculture and Soils

Healthy soil is the foundation for all life. It is the dynamic building block for plant and animal life on earth, and a resource that must be protected and managed. The interactions between soil and water have the potential to reshape landscapes, support farms and forests, and sustain healthy communities. ACCD's agriculture and soil programs provide technical assistance to farmers, community members and municipalities to help guide the resource conservation of Allegheny County's soil.  

ACCD works with farmers and other stakeholders in four key ways to improve and protect agriculture and soil resources:  

• Preserving working lands through the Farmland Preservation Program. 
• Assisting farmers with regulatory compliance at the local, state and federal levels.
• Educating practitioners on agricultural management best practices.
• Providing technical assistance through soil testing, research, and on-farm evaluations.  

Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program
The Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) awards grants to Pennsylvania farmers to install best management practices on their farms that reduce pollution from entering streams and waterways.

Farmland Preservation 
The Farmland Preservation Program incentivizes farmers in the state to keep farmland in agricultural production for years to come.  

Livestock Compliance and Regulations 
Nutrient and Manure Management Programs regulate safe handling of livestock manure to protect surface and groundwater from nutrient pollution.  

Rural & Urban Agriculture Conservation 
Agriculture Conservation connects farmers with technical and financial resources for the implementation of best management practices, such as cover cropping, soil conservation, no-till or minimal till cropping systems, conservation plans,
Agriculture Erosion and Sediment Control Plans and more.  

Urban Soils 
Urban soil is an important natural resource in Allegheny County. ACCD works with local partners to provide testing, outreach and research around this topic.