Conservation

Investing in Farmers’ Responsible Land Management Practices
Important funding has been allocated to partner with farmers in the Maumee River Watershed to continue expanding best practices focused on proactive conservation solutions to address the state’s water quality. Steps are being taken to increase the reach of programs like Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network and H2Ohio to invest in these practices in every corner of the state.

Here are some ways we have worked to support conservation.

Videos highlight subsurface nutrient placement

Several farmers in northwest Ohio are using funding from the H2Ohio water quality initiative to implement subsurface nutrient placement on their farms.

Ohio’s top conservation farmers honored

The Ohio Department of Agriculture recognized five families as winners of the 2022 Conservation Farm Family Awards at the Farm Science Review in London.

Too much progress on water quality to ignore

Adam Sharp, Ohio Farm Bureau executive vice president, sent the following letter to the editor to The Toledo Blade in response to the Blade Editorial Board’s opinion piece, “Plan to protect Lake Erie needs teeth.”

H2Ohio projects expand into Ohio River Basin

Projects will create wetlands, restore wetlands on hydric soils and/or enhance water quality at existing wetlands and floodplains.

Manure management is a team effort

From an outside perspective, manure application may look like a simple task, but it takes numerous people and organizations to collaborate to complete the job.

Conservation project offers peer-to-peer learning

The Farmer Advocates for Conservation project is training farmers to mentor other farmers in the Maumee River watershed.

Field Day with Jordan Hoewischer: Stephanie Singer

Hoewischer and Stephanie Singer, agriculture outreach project manager at The Nature Conservancy, talk about the conservancy’s Farmer Advocates for Conservation Program.

Farmers look to the sky over a shifting climate

The use of drones on farms may be in its infancy, but it is expanding as climate change makes growing seasons more unpredictable.

Forecast for 2022 Lake Erie algal bloom released

The 2022 algal bloom is expected to have a low severity index of 3.5, according to the final forecast from the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration.

Ohio’s 2022 Water Quality Status Report released

The 2022 Water Quality Status Report highlights how signature water quality initiatives have had major roles improving and protecting clean water, one of the state’s most valuable resources.