The Blanchard River Demonstration Farm Network is a $1 million, five-year project and the first of its kind in Ohio. Three demonstration farms showcase innovative and standard agricultural practices that help reduce and prevent nutrient runoff. Participating farms are Kellogg Farms, Hardin County; Kurt Farms, Hardin County; and Stateler Family Farms, Hancock County. An Advisory Committee provides guidance to the project using their expertise is their given fields. Learn more at the network’s website.
Amy Graves - April 16
More than 125 FFA students gathered April 13 in Hancock County for a day of learning about agricultural careers on and off the farm. During the hands-on event, students learned about the financial and environmental challenges farmers face every year as well as the strong demand for workers in the agricultural industry.
Amy Graves - March 27
In April, more than 170 FFA students learned about the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network, kicking off the start of tour season of the three northwestern Ohio farms. The farms in the Western Lake Erie Basin have been testing both…
In 2015, Ohio Farm Bureau and USDA-NRCS launched a five- year, $1 million partnership to demonstrate on-farm conservation practices to help improve water and nutrient conservation. Over the course of 2017, the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network has hosted over 700…
Amy Graves - Nov. 22, 2017During tours of the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms, project manager Aaron Heilers likes to bring along a mason jar filled with white pellets of commercial fertilizer. It represents the amount of phosphorus — 1 pound — that scientists estimate is…
Ohio farmers are making positive impacts to water quality in the Western Lake Erie Basin, according to a new report from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The report shows applied conservation practices reduce sediment losses from fields by an estimated…
Ten members of Ohio media toured the three farms participating in the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network during a Farm Bureau sponsored media tour May 11. The group learned details about the conservation practices being tested in an effort to…
Amy Graves - May 5, 2017
Addressing the challenges that threaten Ohio’s clean water resources is an important priority for the agriculture community. The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) has released its fourth report detailing its efforts to ensure safe and healthy water for the state. The…
Amy Graves - April 17, 2017
Researchers studying different conservation practices at the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms are narrowing their focus to four practices that appear to help reduce nutrient and sediment loss. “It’s too early to say what the results of our demonstration farms’ edge-of-field…
Lynn Snyder - April 6, 2017
Leading edge conservation practices that will positively impact water quality without negatively affecting the farmer’s economic bottom line will be the featured topic at the event hosted by the Center for Innovative Food Technology (CIFT). Aaron Heilers, project manager, Blanchard…
Amy Graves - Dec. 8, 2016
A group of scientists, policymakers, professors, state and government officials and farmers recently toured the three farms participating in the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network to learn about both new and traditional conservation practices that help prevent nutrient runoff.
