Agriculture Workgroup

The Agriculture Workgroup provides expertise and leadership on the development and implementation of policies, programs and research to reduce pollutant loads delivered from agricultural lands and animal operations to upstream waters and the Chesapeake Bay.

Upcoming Meetings

‍View Past Meetings View Group Calendar‍

Scope and Purpose

The charge of the Agriculture Workgroup is to provide expertise and leadership on development and implementation of policies, programs and research to reduce pollutant loads delivered from agricultural lands and animal operations to upstream waters and the Chesapeake Bay. The workgroup reports to the Water Quality Goal Implementation Team. Functions include:

  • Provide a forum for discussion, exchange of information and evaluation between federal, state and local agencies, conservation districts, universities, agri-business and the corporate sector on sustainable and/or cost-effective agricultural production systems that benefit water and air quality.
  • Provide recommendations on the prioritization of federal and state technical and financial resources on specific practices in priority watersheds.
  • Provide technical expertise and leadership to support the development and implementation of agricultural elements within the Chesapeake Bay TMDL, Watershed Implementation Plans, two-year milestones, and tracking and reporting mechanisms that support an adaptive management approach towards Bay restoration.
  • Coordinate with WQGIT Watershed Technical Workgroup to identify, define, quantify and incorporate pollutant reduction and conservation practices on agricultural lands and animal operations into the Chesapeake Bay Program decision support system. Provide data and support for the Water Quality Goal Implementation Team and Technical and Support Services.

Projects and Resources

Phase 7 Model Development

Evolving plans and related documents can be found on the Chesapeake Bay Program's Phase 7 Model Development webpage.

Agriculture Workgroup Chesapeake Assessment Scenario Tool (CAST) Issues Tracker

The Chesapeake Assessment Scenario Tool (CAST) Issues Tracker is a living document. It will be updated regularly as progress is made on the issues it contains or as new issues are raised. This spreadsheet serves as a starting point for setting priorities for Phase 7 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Model updates and changes related to agricultural data.

Agriculture Workgroup Governance Protocol & Membership

The Agriculture Workgroup's governance resource outlines the workgroup's recommended consensus-based decision-making process and details leadership and membership selection, lengths of terms and participation. Lists of the workgroup's signatory and at-large membership and their affiliations are provided for reference.

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Publications

Cropland Irrigation BMP Expert Panel Report

Published on December 12, 2019 in Report

This report details the work done by the Cropland Irrigation Expert Panel to improve the BMP definition and efficiency values for cropland irrigation, create unique BMP definitions and recommendations for three different cropland irrigation categories, and investigate differences in BMP efficiencies and irrigation practices across regions. This work draws on pre-existing literature on cropland irrigation and focuses on applications in the Delmarva Peninsula and Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The WQGIT approved final report from the Cropland Irrigation Expert Panel.

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Recommendations Regarding Agricultural Stormwater Management Practices

Published on January 18, 2018

This report, created for the AgWG by the Agricultural Stormwater Management Practices Expert Panel Establishment Group, offers recommendations on agricultural stormwater management practices throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and their implementation in Phase 6 of the Watershed Model. The WQGIT approved final report from the Agricultural Stormwater Management Expert Panel Establishment Group.

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Workgroups and Action Teams
Agricultural Modeling Team (Phase 7) Fertilizer Expert Group

Members
Kathy Braiser (Chair), Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)
Address:


Email:  kbrasier@psu.edu
Caitlin Grady (Vice Chair), George Washington University
Address:


Email:  caitlin.grady@gwu.edu
Eric Hughes (Coordinator), Life Scientist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Address:
1750 Forest Drive, Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  hughes.eric@epa.gov
Phone:  410-267-5729
Caroline Kleis (Staffer), Water Quality Goal Implementation Team Staffer, Chesapeake Research Consortium
Address:
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  Kleis.Caroline@epa.gov
Greg Albrecht, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
Address:
309 Roat Street
Ithaca, New York 14850

Email:  greg.albrecht@agriculture.ny.gov
Phone:  (607) 229-4654
Cindy Shreve, West Virginia Conservation Agency
Address:
60B Moorefield Industrial Park Road
Moorefield, West Virginia 26836

Email:  cshreve@wvca.us.
Phone:  (304) 538-7581
Kate Bresaw, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Address:


Email:  kbresaw@pa.gov
Elizabeth Hoffman, Maryland Department of Agriculture
Address:
50 Harry S. Truman Parkway
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  elizabeth.hoffman@maryland.gov
Marel King, Chesapeake Bay Commission
Address:
c/o Senate of Pennsylvania
G-05 North Office Building
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120

Email:  mking@chesbay.us
Phone:  (717) 772-3651
Paul Bredwell, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association
Address:
1530 Cooledge Road
Tucker, Georgia 30084

Email:  pbredwell@uspoultry.org
Phone:  (770) 493-9401
Ken Staver, University of Maryland
Address:
Wye Research and Education Center
P.O. Box 169
Queenstown, Maryland 21658

Email:  kstaver@umd.edu
Phone:  (410) 827-8056 x111
Jeff Hill, York County Conservation District
Address:
2401 Pleasant Valley Road
Suite #101 RM #139
York, Pennsylvania 17402

Email:  jhill@yorkccd.org
Phone:  (717) 840-7430 x143
David Graybill, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
Address:
1043 Long Rd
Mifflintown, Pennsylvania 17059

Email:  dgmkhc@centurylink.net
Phone:  (717) 363-0706
Emily Dekar, Upper Susquehanna Coalition
Address:
183 Corporate Drive
Owego, New York 13827

Email:  dekare@co.tioga.ny.us
Phone:  (607) 972-2346
Clint Gill, Delaware Department of Agriculture
Address:
2320 South DuPont Highway
Dover, Delaware 19901

Email:  clint.gill@state.de.us
Matthew Royer, Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)
Address:
111B Ferguson Building
University Park, Pennsylvania 16802

Email:  mzr154@psu.edu
RO Britt, Smithfield Foods
Address:
434 E Main St
Waverly, Virginia 23890

Email:  robritt@smithfield.com
Seth Mullins, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Address:


Email:  seth.mullins@dcr.virginia.gov
Jenna Schueler, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Address:


Email:  jschueler@cbf.org
Jeff Sweeney, Integrated Analysis Coordinator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Address:
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  sweeney.jeff@epa.gov
Phone:  (410) 267-9844
Nick Hepfl, HERBERT, ROWLAND & GRUBIC, INC.
Address:


Email:  nhepfl@hrg-inc.com
Jim Riddell, Virginia Cattleman Association
Address:


Email:  riddellj@live.com
Zach Evans, Mountaire Farms, Inc.
Address:


Email:  zevans@mountaire.com
Kendrick Flowers, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Address:


Email:  kendrick.flowers@usda.gov