SUNBURY — Farmers operating in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are reminded by local officials to apply for assistance under the state’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative.

“The initiative offers technical and financial assistance to producers to install agricultural practices to help control erosion and to minimize excess nutrients and sediments in order to restore, preserve and protect the bay,” said Bill Deitrick, Union County Conservation District manager.

Deitrick said the programs help participants implement a system of core conservation practices on eligible agricultural land.

Those core practices include crop residue management, such as no-till and mulch till systems, crop nutrient management, manure management, cover crops, buffers, riparian forest buffers and streamside fencing to keep livestock out of the streams and protect fish and wildlife habitat.

People who haven’t signed up can do so in county conservation district offices.

Applications for aid through the initiative will be evaluated, ranked and prioritized based on their potential to control erosion and reduce sediment and nutrient levels in local waters and the Chesapeake Bay.

Some watersheds might be designated as high priority watersheds because they have high yields of nitrogen and phosphorus, intense agricultural operations and local water quality impairments due to excess nutrients or dissolved oxygen.

Qualified applications will be approved for funding as long as funds are available. Applications that cannot be funded can be retained for up to two years, after which farmers would need to apply again.

A list of Pennsylvania’s priority watersheds and application materials may be found at www.pa.nrcs.usda.gov.