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.
Joe Cornely - Nov. 11, 2019
Do you know any homeowner or businessperson who would spend $40 to save 25 cents? Hundreds or thousands of times? That’s the essence of society’s expectations for farmers when it comes to reducing farm nutrient loss in order to clean…
The Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network project is a five-year initiative, showcasing and demonstrating conservation practices that will help improve agriculture’s impact on downstream water quality. This video series highlights the efforts being made on three northwest Ohio farms to…
This summer, there were two new pieces of equipment by the pig barns at Stateler Farms in McComb, which is one of the sites of the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms project. A KDS Separator and Quick Wash trailer were both…
Crawford County Farm Bureau is taking a bus tour of the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network Sept. 9, departing from Bucyrus at 8:30 a.m. The tour will take you to three Hardin and Hancock County farms to see a wide variety…
Amy Beth Graves - June 14, 2019
The cornerstone project of Ohio Farm Bureau’s $2.6 million Water Quality Action Plan is now halfway done. The Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network is a unique five-year partnership between OFBF and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service….
Amy Beth Graves - April 16, 2018
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 Beth Graves - March 27, 2018
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 Beth 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…
