Everyday is Earth Day for Partyka

Wanda Partyka recently purchased two adjoining farms totaling 239 acres in southwest Virginia.  NRCS District Conservationist Tom Smith worked with Wanda to develop conservation plans that would address all resource concerns on the farm.  

To improve the woodland areas of the farm, Wanda put in fencing to keep the cattle out.  Next she did some selective thinning to improve the timber stand, and then planted additional hardwood seedlings for wildlife and timber. 

To keep cattle out of the streams and protect water quality, Wanda fenced out the streams and built three stream crossings.  As an alternative water source for the thirteen pastures, she installed a spring development with pipelines to two reservoirs that deliver water to 10 freeze proof watering troughs.  She also planted fifteen and half acres of hardwood seedlings to create a forested riparian buffer along each stream.   Cost-sharing for the conservation practices came from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), administered by NRCS.

For Wanda, having a plan for each part of the operation is the key to making sure that natural resources are protected.  She will follow five plans including a conservation plan, nutrient management plan, prescribed grazing plan, pest management plan and forest stewardship plan.   She has also put her farm in an easement with the New River Land Trust, so that it will be preserved in agriculture for the future.

Smith says Wanda is very proactive with conservation and wants only the best for her land.  Wanda, a physical therapist, isn’t living on the farm yet.  She plans to move in sometime next year after remodeling the farm house.  In the meantime, she is leasing the land to a local farmer for grazing yearling cattle.

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