Water Quality Expands with H2Ohio Program
In partnership with: Ohio Department of Agriculture
Every movement needs a watershed moment – pun intended – and for Ohio’s conservation-conscious farmers, the H2Ohio Initiative is just that. Since the launch of Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio Initiative in 2019, momentum has only continued to grow behind the water quality program designed to tackle mounting water issues, especially those in Northwest Ohio and the Maumee River Watershed. Prepandemic, the program held in-person meetings in February 2020. The attendance was remarkable and resulted in 2,000 producer sign-ups. As H2Ohio expanded to 10 more counties in 2021, meetings shifted to a virtual format but the interest from farmers has remained high.
See more: Farmers Protect Watersheds Through H2Ohio
Trailblazing Together
“We’ve traveled through the original 14 counties and held eight meetings to educate producers on H2Ohio,” says Dorothy Pelanda, Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) director. While voluntary, the program incentivizes producers to implement best management practices, particularly the seven practices outlined by H2Ohio. More than just practicing sound management, H2Ohio is largely about doing the right thing to increase conservation efforts and decrease phosphorus runoff into watersheds and Lake Erie.
Currently, the program is expanding into the next 10 neighboring counties with the goal of adding $60 million to support producers.
Each partnering agency, the ODA, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, works on separate goals while maintaining strong collaboration with producers and outside partners.
See more: Ohio’s Farmland Preservation Program Aims to Protect Family Farms
Continuous Improvement, Strong Results
Dennis Vennekotter of Vennekotter Farms in Continental, Ohio, has been a vocal proponent of H2Ohio. He grows soybeans, corn, and wheat and finishes hogs on his fourth-generation farm in the Maumee River Watershed located near the Blanchard River.
“I don’t farm like my father and my father didn’t farm like his father,” Vennekotter says. “We have to continue to learn.”
To improve his sustainability and environmental impact, Vennekotter has implemented new H2Ohio practices, which enhanced his own conservation practices. He formerly planted cover crops but recently added more acreage and diversity with oats, radishes, and cereal rye behind wheat. On his flat ground, the crops help prevent soil erosion.
“It can get windy and I see no erosion due to wind or muddy water after a big rain,” Vennekotter says.
Livestock has been a big part of the Vennekotter family operation since 1906. Vennekotter continues to raise hogs in a modern, doublewide building.
Vennekotter believes H2Ohio has enabled producers to leverage better data and technology to make more informed decisions regarding inputs and planting.
“We strip-till and fertilize in bands, drilling phosphorus into the ground and using variable rate technology to determine where to place fertilizers,” he says. “Fertilizer is also applied directly into the soil rather than spread on top.”
Even soil testing has changed.
“We used to test maybe a 40-acre plot and use that as the single point of information,” Vennekotter says. “Now, we test per acre and much smaller than before. This practice gives us a better view of my soil health and where to apply inputs.”
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New Opportunities
Agriculture is Ohio’s largest industry, and with H2Ohio, Vennekotter believes that producers and growers have a real opportunity to try something different and help each other.
“What’s nice about it is how we can learn together. My neighbor joined the program and wanted to strip-till,” Vennekotter says. “I brought equipment over to help him because he didn’t have it and we worked together.”
Vennekotter believes with the increased soil testing, targeted fertilizing and variable rate application, growers can be more efficient.
“If a farmer isn’t participating, he has a good opportunity to become more aware of his operation if he does participate,” he says.
Learn more about H2Ohio and the seven steps to conservation by visiting h2.ohio.gov.
See more: Rural Broadband Access Allows Ohio Farms to Adopt New Technologies
H2Ohio Seven Best Management Practices
1. Voluntary Nutrient Management Plan Development and Implementation
2. Variable Rate Phosphorus Application
3. Subsurface Phosphorus Placement
4. Manure Incorporation
5. Conservation Crop Rotation – small grains and forages
6. Overwintering Cover Crops
7. Drainage Water Management
Source: Ohio Department of Agriculture, H2Ohio