A million-dollar grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will pay the total costs of riparian buffers and other conservation practices on farms in three contiguous watersheds in Pennsylvaniaâs Lancaster, Lebanon and Dauphin counties. âWhen you say total cost, is there anything the farmer has to pay out of pocket?â we asked Lauren Shaffer. âNope,â she said. âThereâs even a bonus.â A cover crop of winter rye was no-till planted between corn stubble from a prior year's crop to ensure live roots are in the soil year 'round. Penn State Ag and Environment C Shaffer is an outreach specialist with the Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center in Lancaster. The grant covers 220 square miles of heavily farmed land in watersheds drained by the Chiques, Conoy and Conewago creeks.