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.
Meetings
Agriculture Workgroup Meeting - May 2025
Agriculture Workgroup Meeting - June 2025
Agriculture Workgroup Meeting - July 2025
Optional: Agriculture Workgroup (AgWG) Planning Document Office Hours
Optional: Agriculture Workgroup (AgWG) Planning Document Office Hours
Agriculture Workgroup Meeting - April 2025
About
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
Agriculture Workgroup Governance Protocol & Membership
The workgroup's consensus-based decision-making process and lists of signatory and at-large membership.
Agriculture Workgroup Actions and Decisions
In ProgressA log of the Agriculture Workgroup's past and present actions and decisions.
Phase 7 Model Development
In ProgressThese updated modeling tools will be used by the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership to inform decisions related to the nutrient and sediment reduction goals outlined in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.
Agriculture Workgroup Chesapeake Assessment Scenario Tool (CAST) Issues Tracker
A living record of concerns that have been raised by jurisdictions in relation to agricultural data inputs.
Resources for Virtual Meetings
User-friendly guides for presenters and participants to avoid common audio or visual problems with virtual meetings.
Publications
Agricultural Ditch Management BMP Expert Panel Report
Publication date:This report review the available science on the nutrient and sediment removal efficiencies associated with agricultural ditch best management practices.
View document [PDF, 3.5 MB] Agricultural Ditch Management BMP Expert Panel Report
Cropland Irrigation BMP Expert Panel Report
Publication date: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.
Recommendations Regarding Agricultural Stormwater Management Practices
Publication date:This report offers recommendations on agricultural stormwater management practices throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed and their implementation in Phase 6 of the Watershed Model.
View document [PDF, 550.3 KB] Recommendations Regarding Agricultural Stormwater Management Practices
Turkey Litter Generation and Nutrient Content for use in Phase 6 Watershed Model
Publication date:This report compiles data on Virginia's turkey production and litter nutrient content for use in Phase 6 of the Chesapeake Bay Program's Watershed Model.
Recommendations for Establishing Evaluation Standards for Roadside Transect Surveys in Agriculture
Publication date:An assessment of roadside transect (i.e., windshield) survey accuracy was performed to determine the suitability of this method to identify agricultural conservation practices for credit in the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Watershed Model.
Our Workgroups & Action Teams
Our Members
- Kathy Brasier (Chair)
Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) kbrasier@psu.edu - Caitlin Grady (Vice Chair)
George Washington University caitlin.grady@gwu.edu - Eric Hughes (Coordinator)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hughes.eric@epa.gov - Caroline Kleis (Staffer)
Chesapeake Research Consortium Kleis.Caroline@epa.gov - Greg Albrecht
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets greg.albrecht@agriculture.ny.gov - Cindy Shreve
West Virginia Conservation Agency cshreve@wvca.us. - Kate Bresaw
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection kbresaw@pa.gov - Elizabeth Hoffman
Maryland Department of Agriculture elizabeth.hoffman@maryland.gov - Marel King
Chesapeake Bay Commission mking@chesbay.us - Paul Bredwell
U.S. Poultry & Egg Association pbredwell@uspoultry.org - Ken Staver
University of Maryland kstaver@umd.edu - Jeff Hill
York County Conservation District jhill@yorkccd.org - David Graybill
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau dgmkhc@centurylink.net - Emily Dekar
Upper Susquehanna Coalition DekarE@tiogacountyny.gov - Clint Gill
Delaware Department of Agriculture clint.gill@state.de.us - Matthew Royer
Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) mzr154@psu.edu - RO Britt
Smithfield Foods robritt@smithfield.com - Seth Mullins
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation seth.mullins@dcr.virginia.gov - Jenna Schueler
Chesapeake Bay Foundation jschueler@cbf.org - Jeff Sweeney
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sweeney.jeff@epa.gov - Nick Hepfl
HERBERT, ROWLAND & GRUBIC, INC. nhepfl@hrg-inc.com - Jim Riddell
Virginia Cattleman Association riddellj@live.com - Zach Evans
Mountaire Farms, Inc. zevans@mountaire.com - Rosita Musgrove
District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) rosita.musgrove@dc.gov - Christi Hicks
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) christi.hicks@usda.gov