Bernard Beatty and his wife, Sharon, love where they live and what they do. Located in northwestern New Jersey nestled between the Musconetcong River and Musconetcong Mountain, the Beattys have been dairying for over thirty years. The Musconetcong River flows into the Delaware River which supports anadromous and catadromous fish and provides critical habitat for migratory birds.

Beginning in the late sixties when he won the FFA Soil and Water Proficiency Award, Bernie has been a conscientious steward of the land. Because of higher water runoff due to encroaching housing development in their township, the Beattys enrolled in CRP in 1998 to install filter strips and a riparian buffer along a tributary of the Musconetcong in order to enhance the water's quality, control erosion and restore native vegetation. The Beattys' efforts have paid off. Approximately 2,800 trees have been planted within the 25 to 50 foot-wide buffer along 4,700 linear feet of the stream. "It's a good start. There is no such thing as a quick fix when it comes to the environment," says Bernie, who has noticed increased wildlife in the area, including muskrat and wild turkeys.

Six hundred plus contiguous acres including the Beatty Farm have been preserved as farmland in the area. According to Beatty, "the water and soil come next." In 1995, the Beattys began to market water from a naturally- occurring underground spring located on their farm. Safeguarding that spring is yet another reason to continue with the Conservation Reserve Program, says Bernie.

Bernard Beatty planting trees under CRP contract. Beatty has operated his dairy in northwestern New Jersey for 30 years.

Beatty land before CRP. Water runoff from a nearby housing development was contributing to water quality concerns affecting the Musconetcong River and erosion on the land associated with the Beatty dairy.

Beatty land after CRP. Under CRP contract, the Beattys installed Filter Strips and a Riparian Buffer, planting 2,800 trees along a tributary of the Musconetcong River.