Picture credit: Cameron County Conservation District
In September 2020, Cameron County Conservation District built a manure storage building at Junior Grimone’s farm in North Creek. The project was funded by an Environmental Stewardship Fund (Growing Greener) Grant received by Headwaters Resource Conservation and Development Council. The new manure storage building allows for the manure from the pigs on the Grimone Farm to be stored under a covered roof out of the rain and the elements. It eliminates nutrient runoff from the former manure storage area that was entering North Creek during heavy rain events.
The new manure storage building will also allow the Grimone Farm to store the manure throughout winter so that it can be applied during the growing season in the spring, when the nutrients can be best utilized by the crops. By applying the manure during the spring growing season, it reduces the risk of runoff carrying manure from the fields into nearby waterways, while optimizing the fertility benefit of the manure and reducing the costs for purchasing and applying synthetic fertilizers. The manure storage building was constructed by James Hart Construction of Smethport.
