Ohio Organizations Help Farmers Protect Water

In partnership with: Ohio Department of Agriculture

Modern farming relies on a complex combination of well-calibrated soil, excellent crop breeding, the uncertainty of the weather, but most importantly, water. 

The millions of acres of Ohio farmland need nutrients to make the soil as fertile as possible. These nutrients yield crops that feed Americans as well as provide the livelihoods of the farmers themselves. However, when nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus run off into lakes and rivers, the changes to the water system can be negative for the environment and for people who rely on those waters. 

See more: Water Quality Expands with H2Ohio Program

Several state and national organizations are working to help farmers address this challenge, including the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network, H2Ohio, and the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF). They provide farmers with tools that will help them balance the goals of growing excellent crop yields, minimizing environmental impact, and managing the costs of new equipment or strategies. By offering a wide variety of strategies that require varying commitments of time and money, these organizations help farmers to find cost-effective ways to get the yields they need while also protecting their local water sources. 

“We take a holistic approach to where the nutrients go,” says Jordan Hoewischer, the director of water quality and research at OFBF. “The state of Ohio is providing money and educating farmers on these nutrient management practices, giving them an a la carte set of methods to put into practice.”

Granting New Techniques

The Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network is a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and OFBF and includes Kellogg Farms, Kurt Farms, and Stateler Family Farms. On each property, farming techniques are being tried and modified for innovation so that farmers can make the best possible use of them. 

When OFBF partnered with the network, they were able to begin studying intensively the kinds of best management practices that are incentivized by H2Ohio, a state program that incentivizes farmers for implementing best management practices that help reduce nutrient runoff.

See more: 8 Water-Conserving Tips for Summer Gardening

Practices that are being demonstrated include capping wells that are no longer in use but are in the middle of a farm, where fertilizer and other runoff can easily enter the water system. There is also an effort to create or restore wetlands, once a thriving and key part of the ecosystem in Ohio, which also serve as a natural filtration system between farms and the wider water system.

“Wetlands allow water to come into low-lying areas and allow the nutrients to settle out and be broken down,” Hoewischer says. 

Another key component for both avoiding erosion and for avoiding runoff are the cover crops planted between the main crop cycles.

“The saying goes that you want to keep the ground green as long as possible,” Hoewischer says. “Cover crops increase the soil health, binding the nutrients and soil over the winter.”

How Rainfall Affects Water Runoff

Hoewischer explains that the past 30 years have seen patterns that bode poorly for nutrient runoff. Rather than many smaller rains, the trend is toward more rains that come in bursts of 1 inch or more.

Heavy rain is more likely than light rain to saturate soil and result in runoff, making the efforts to reduce nutrient runoff even more timely. 

However, Hoewischer says the combination of demonstrating techniques, offering grants, and letting farmers adapt their own solutions has made a big impact.

“Farmers are some of the most inventive people out there,” he says. “This is their livelihood, and when they see a challenge, they make a new tool to try something new out.”

[infobox alignment=”full” title=”Farm Practices That Protect Our Water Resources“]

» Planting cover crops traps nutrients and keeps them in the soil between growing seasons.

» Capping old wells avoids losing nutrients to the groundwater.

» Placing fertilizer and other soil amendments below the surface rather than on the surface of the cropland helps them be more effective and run off less.

» Strategically adding wetlands helps to filter out excess nutrients before water moves into rivers and lakes.

» Soil testing allows farmers to apply fertilizer in different amounts using a GPS map that integrates with their equipment. 

[/infobox]