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Ohio legislators took part in a farm tour hosted by the Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative (OACI) to hear firsthand how local farmers are leading the way in conservation and protecting water quality.

Held in Findlay June 9, the tour highlighted three northwest Ohio farms that are implementing science-based conservation practices, demonstrating the real-world impact of the H2Ohio program, a statewide water quality initiative designed to address complex issues impacting Ohio’s waters.

As a proud partner of OACI, Ohio Farm Bureau is committed to advancing science-based solutions that benefit both agriculture and water quality in Ohio.

The farms included on the tour are part of the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network, a 10-year, $2 million collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. The Demonstration Farms aim to help producers find the right combination of practices to reduce nutrient and sediment loss, while considering financial inputs.

Over 30 tour participants witnessed a variety of conservation strategies in action, including cover crops, no-till and strip-till systems, two-stage ditches, land buffers and advanced manure management.

Over the past several years, OACI has worked to benchmark agricultural best practices and establish a framework for voluntary farm certification, all in support of healthy waterways across Ohio. The initiative is focused on understanding current conservation and nutrient management efforts and in encouraging farmer participation through OACI’s certification program.

OACI’s core components of assessment, verification and certification, along with robust research, provide critical tools for evaluating the impacts of farming practices on the state’s waterways and identifying comprehensive solutions to address algal blooms and nutrient reduction to improve Ohio’s water quality.

About OACI

The Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative is a partnership among agriculture, conservation, environmental and research communities to recognize farmers for their dedication to advancing methods that improve water quality in Ohio and increasing the number of best management practices being implemented on farms.

OACI partners include: American Farmland Trust, Environmental Defense Fund, National Center for Water Quality Research at Heidelberg University, Ohio AgriBusiness Association, Ohio Cattlemen’s Association, Ohio Conservation Federation, Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association, Ohio Dairy Producers Association, Ohio Environmental Council, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Ohio Pork Council, Ohio Poultry Association, Ohio Sheep Improvement Association, Ohio Soybean
Council, The Fertilizer Institute, The Nature Conservancy and The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.