Landowners can conserve their land while maintaining ownership of the land through a Conservation Easement. A Conservation Easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a qualified organization, such as a land trust, that restricts specific activities on the land to protect its conservation values.
Conservation Easements allow the landowner to maintain ownership of the land while limiting future development. The property can also be sold or passed onto heirs, with the Conservation Easement forever restricting the land as the original landowner planned, ensuring their wishes for conservation in perpetuity.
Landowners can choose to restrict areas of their land from development, while also setting aside development zones for the future, ensuring a balance between the built environment and the protection of natural resources on the property. Conservation Easements can also ensure future uses on the land if they are in agreement with the goals of the Conservation Easement. For example, the cutting of a limited percentage of trees for firewood, as long as it is within the standards for ensuring a healthy forest, can be specified; hunting on the property to continue to manage healthy wildlife populations can also be permitted.
Each easement is unique to the land it governs. Richland Soil and Water Conservation District suggests working with a legal professional to develop the easement so that it conforms to the wishes of the donor and protects the conservation values of the land.
Schedule an on-site visit to address concerns you have about your property’s resources
You determine and share your objectives
While on-site, your property’s resources are evaluated with respect to your objectives
If needed, recommended practices are discussed with you
You decide which conservation practices you want to implement
A Conservation Plan is created for you
Technicians will survey, design, draft and lay out the practice for construction
We will work with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) in the allocation of cost share funds for the project, if available and/or wanted
Implement the Conservation Plan
Evaluate the Conservation Plan
What is a Conservation Plan?
An agricultural/livestock owner tries to run their operation as efficiently as possible. Sometimes certain areas become problems to their operations. These operators may seek the assistance of USDA-NRCS to develop a conservation plan. This plan will help the operator address these problem areas and other areas that could affect natural resources. Through the use of Conservation Practices, NRCS can help the operator determine what conservation practices will correct these concern areas. There are many Conservation Practices that NRCS has developed, but the following are a list of commonly installed practices in Richland County. At the conclusion of the plan creation, material will be provided to you to help implement the plan.
Examples of Conservation Practices
Access Roads
Farming operations often utilize frequently traveled areas to access particular areas of the farm. Sometimes these areas become rutted, muddy, pot-holes. This can be due to an unsuitable soil type in that area, the physical location of the area or poor weather conditions. An Access Road can be used to protect these areas. They are developed by installing a particular depth of gravel material to withstand frequent travel. They protect soil, water, air, wildlife and other adjacent resource areas.
Agrichemical Facility
Many farming operations frequently use fertilizers and chemicals to maintain their crops. Rather than hire a company to apply these chemicals, an operator may want to apply their own. To do this they need to have storage tanks on-site to store the appropriate chemicals. If any of the tanks were to develop a leak it could be a big threat to natural resources. An Agrichemical Facility addresses this situation. It is a designed basin with an impermeable liner where all storage tanks are placed. In the event of a leak or a spill while mixing, all chemicals would be contained, pumped out and disposed of properly.
Fences
Livestock operations need to keep their animals within certain areas. Also, it has been found to be beneficial to have smaller pasture fields and rotate livestock within these fields at regular intervals. This promotes healthier vegetation in the pastures, better nourished livestock and erosion protection.
Filter Strip
A filter strip, typically adjacent to a ditch, stream or river, is an area of vegetation established for removing sediment, organic material, and other pollutants from runoff and wastewater.
Grassed Waterway
When a whole field is tilled and planted, there may be areas where two hill slopes come together (what we call a swale). During a rain, water will naturally flow to these swales and eventually to a stream or creek. In some instances, the slope, soil type, tilling type, tilling direction or all of the above are not adequate to hold the soil in place. Eventually, these swales become gullies that can be difficult or impossible to cross and they carry sediment to the steam or creek. Grassed Waterways are engineered, shallow grassed channels designed to handle the water flow, keep soil in place while allowing cropping equipment to safely cross over it.
Grazing Management (Prescribed)
This is the management of the kind of animal, animal number, grazing distribution, length of grazing and/or browsing periods and timing of use to provide grazed plants sufficient recovery time to meet planned objectives. The management of livestock movements is based on the rate of plant growth, available forage, and allowable utilization target. Proper grazing management will maintain and improve vegetation and soil conditions, improve water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat.
Livestock operations utilize certain areas frequently to feed and water their animals. Sometimes these areas become rutted, muddy pot-holes. This can be due to an unsuitable soil type in that area, the physical location of the area, poor weather conditions or frequent use. A Heavy Use Pad can be used to protect these highly used areas. They are developed by installing a particular depth of gravel material to withstand the frequent travel. They protect soil, water, air, wildlife and other adjacent resource areas.
Seasonal High Tunnel
This practice is intended to extend the growing season earlier and later in the growing year. Tunnel systems are designed to extend the cropping season and benefit natural resources by improving plant quality, soil quality, and water quality through methods such as reduced nutrient and pesticide transport. A seasonal high tunnel is a polyethylene-covered structure with or without electricity, heating, or mechanical ventilation systems. High tunnels modify the climate to create more favorable growing conditions for vegetable and other specialty crops grown in the natural soil beneath it. Crops must be grown in the soil under the high tunnel, not in pots, growing racks or hydroponics systems. The structure utilizes passive solar heating and can use a supplemental heating system, if required. Ventilation is usually provided by manually rolling the sides up or down. However, mechanical systems may be used to improve effectiveness. High tunnel systems are not greenhouses.
Nutrient management involves managing the amount, placement, and timing of plant nutrients to obtain optimum yields and minimize the risk of surface and groundwater pollution.
The 4Rs were created to educate and promote wise nutrient management to conserve water quality and soil health using four “rights”:
Right Source: Ensure a balanced supply of essential nutrients, considering both naturally available sources and the characteristics of specific products, in plant available forms.
Right Rate: Assess and make decisions based on soil nutrient supply and plant demand.
Right Time: Assess and make decisions based on the dynamics of crop uptake, soil supply, nutrient loss risks, and field operation logistics.
Right Place: Address root-soil dynamics and nutrient movement, and manage spatial variability within the field to meet site-specific crop needs and limit potential losses from the field.
Waste Storage Facility
The main byproduct of livestock operations is manure. Fortunately, manure is also a valuable resource, and it can be applied back on the land where it will provide nutrients and organic matter to the soil. However, manure cannot be applied at any time. Care must be taken to apply manure when the land is ready to receive it. It cannot be applied when the ground is saturated with rain, right before a rain event or on frozen-snow covered ground. Manure obviously cannot be applied when agricultural crops are actively growing. As you can see it can be difficult to find suitable conditions to apply the manure. A lot of operations do not have the adequate manure storage capacity to wait for the ideal application situation. A Waste Storage Facility provides a stable facility with enough storage capacity to hold the waste until ideal land application opportunity exist. The storage structure types include liquid waste storage ponds or tanks, and solid waste stacking structures.
Windbreaks
Windbreaks or shelterbelts are single to multiple rows of trees and possibly shrubs planted in a linear fashion. They are established upwind of the areas to be protected. Windbreaks and shelterbelts are primarily used to reduce soil erosion from wind; protect crops, livestock, and farmsteads from wind; area related microclimate effects; control snow deposition; and improve air quality by intercepting drifting chemicals and odors.
Energy
Conservation practices contribute to energy efficiency and fuel savings.
A conservation plan ensures that the land’s unique natural resources are managed in the best possible way, while maintaining sustainability and productivity.
Other benefits of a conservation plan:
Help landowner comply with environmental regulations
Qualify landowner for USDA conservation programs that can help him or her implement conservation measures
Adapts to changing farm or ranch operational goals
Establishes an implementation schedule that fits landowner’s timetable and resources
Now, more than ever, buying locally grown and produced food is vital to our community! With the events of 2020 impacting some food availability, a free list is being assembled of where consumers may purchase food grown and produced in Richland County. The goal is to help the public find locally grown and produced food products and connect local food producers to consumers. Consumers may develop a better understanding of where their food comes from, how it is produced and get to know the people who have a passion for offering fresh food.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture — Division of Soil and Water Conservation has the authority to establish standards for a level of management and conservation practices in farming and animal feeding operations. The purpose of these standards is to reduce pollution of waters of the state by soil sediment, animal manure and residual farm products.
Nutrient management involves managing the amount, placement, and timing of plant nutrients to obtain optimum yields and minimize the risk of surface and groundwater pollution.
The 4Rs
The 4Rs were created to educate and promote wise nutrient management to conserve water quality and soil health using four “rights”:
Right Source: Ensure a balanced supply of essential nutrients, considering both naturally available sources and the characteristics of specific products, in plant available forms.
Right Rate: Assess and make decisions based on soil nutrient supply and plant demand.
Right Time: Assess and make decisions based on the dynamics of crop uptake, soil supply, nutrient loss risks, and field operation logistics.
Right Place: Address root-soil dynamics and nutrient movement, and manage spatial variability within the field to meet site-specific crop needs and limit potential losses from the field.
ODA and OSU Extension Offer Online Pesticide Re-Certification
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), is partnering with the Ohio State University Extension Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) to temporarily provide online recertification for pesticide applicators and fertilizer certificate holders whose licenses expired in spring of 2020. The online recertification will be available Monday, July 6. For commercial applicators, it will be available August 10. For more information or to register for the online recertification, visit Pesticide Certification.
The online option allows private applicators and fertilizer certificate holders due for training by March 31, 2020 and commercial applicators due for training by September 30, 2020 to meet their continuing education requirements. The cost for online training is $35 for private applicators and $10 for fertilizer certification. The price per credit hour for commercial applicators is $15. If you don’t know your license number, please call ODA at 614-728-6987, choose option 1.
Applicators are still required to meet their recertification requirements to renew licenses and certifications. As a result of HB 197, applicators have until 90 days after the emergency is over or December 1, whichever comes first, to complete their requirements. Recertification status can be checked online here. Applicators must also submit a completed renewal application and pay an additional fee to the ODA for licensure.
For additional information regarding online recertification, please contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture at 614-728-6987, and press 1 for licensing recertification or the OSU Pesticide Safety Education Program at 614-292-4070.
Commercial applicators must earn at least five recertification credit hours every three years, and Private applicators must earn at least three recertification credit hours every three years. One hour (60 minutes) must be earned by taking one or more core education classes, one half-hour (30 minutes) of education in each category on the license, and the remaining time requirement can be met by attending classes in any category.
Manure Management
Manure management is an important aspect of livestock farming in Ohio. Livestock operations should have a site specific plan, called a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMPs) that includes the best practices and strategies to manage the collection, storage and land application of manure. Many livestock farmers collect and store manure over a period of time before applying it to a field. A CNMP recommends the size of manure storage structure based on the number of livestock, the desired frequency of field application, and environmental conditions, such as frozen ground. The producer should be able to store manure during the times of the year that have an increased risk of nutrient loss, such as the winter months when the ground is frozen. Manure is fertilizer because it contains nutrients vital for plant growth. When manure is spread on a field with growing plants the nutrients in the manure become available to the plant. Sampling the soil in the field will let a producer know how much of a nutrient is already in the soil before applying manure. There is a greater risk of nutrients will leave the field in water that runs off the surface or drains into field tile if the soil contains more nutrients than the plants need. Farms that import manure to spread on fields should also have a nutrient management plan. Nutrient management plans for these farms document practices on the fields receiving manure and amount of nutrients already in the soil.
The United States Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) helps America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners conserve the nation’s soil, water, air, and other natural resources. All programs are voluntary and offer science-based solutions that benefit both the landowner and the environment. Richland Soil and Water Conservation District works with USDA-NRCS to provide technical assistance to landowners or land managers with the purpose of addressing a natural resource concern such as reducing soil erosion and protecting water quality.
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers and non-industrial forest managers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, increased soil health and reduced soil erosion and sedimentation, improved or created wildlife habitat, and mitigation against drought and increasing weather volatility.
How It Works
This voluntary conservation programs helps producers make conservation work for them. Together, NRCS and producers invest in solutions that conserve natural resources for the future while also improving agricultural operations.
Through EQIP, NRCS provides agricultural producers and non-industrial forest managers with financial resources and one-on-one help to plan and implement improvements, or what NRCS calls conservation practices. Using these practices can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, all while improving agricultural operations. Through EQIP, you can voluntarily implement conservation practices, and NRCS co-invests in these practices with you.
Benefits
Some of these benefits include:
Reduction of contamination from agricultural sources, such as animal feeding operations.
Efficient utilization of nutrients, reducing input costs and reduction in nonpoint source pollution.
Increased soil health to help mitigate against increasing weather volatility and improved drought resiliency.
2018 Farm Bill EQIP Updates
Historically underserved (HU) participants are eligible for advance payments to help offset costs related to purchasing materials or contracting services through EQIP. HU participants may elect to receive an advance of not less than 50 percent of the EQIP conservation practice payment amount. Participants who receive advance payment must expend the funds within 90 days of receiving the advance.
The 2018 Farm Bill expanded eligibility criteria to allow water management entities who assist private agricultural producers with managing water distribution or conservation systems to apply for EQIP. These entities are defined as State, irrigation district, ground water management district, acequia, land grant-merced, or similar entity that has jurisdiction or responsibilities related to water delivery or management to eligible lands.
The 2018 Farm Bill requires that nationally 10 percent of mandatory program funding be targeted towards source water protection. States will identify priority source water protection areas and may offer increased incentives and higher payment rates for practices that address water quality and/or water quantity.
Beginning in 2020, States may provide increased payment rates for high-priority practices. In consultations with the State Technical Committee, State Conservationists may designate up to 10 practices to be eligible for increased payments. Eligible high-priority practices include those that address specific causes of ground or surface water impairment relating to excessive nutrients, address the conservation of water to advance drought mitigation and declining aquifers, meet other environmental priorities and priority resource concerns identified in habitat or area restoration plans, or is geographically targeted to address a natural resource concern in a specific watershed.
Popular Practices
Cover Crops: Growing a crop of grass, small grain or legumes primarily for seasonal protection and soil improvement. Learn more about cover crops.
Grassed Waterway: A grassed waterway is a shaped or graded channel that is established with suitable vegetation to convey surface water at a non-erosive velocity using a broad and shallow cross section to a stable outlet. Learn more about grassed waterways.
Fences: A fence is a constructed barrier to livestock, wildlife, or people. Learn more about fences.
Forest Stand Improvement: Forest stand improvement involves the manipulation of forest species composition and structure by cutting or killing selected trees and understory vegetation. Learn more about forest stand improvement.
Heavy Use Area Protection: Heavy Use Area Protection (HUAP) is a way to stabilize a ground surface that is frequently and intensively used by people, animals, or vehicles. Learn more about Heavy Use Area Protection.
Prescribed Grazing: Prescribed grazing involves managing the harvest of vegetation with grazing and/or browsing animals. Learn more about prescribed grazing.
Waste Storage Facility: To store manure, agricultural by-products, wastewater, and contaminated runoff to provide the agricultural operation management flexibility for waste utilization. Learn more about waste storage facilities.
Watering Facility: Its proper location will improve animal distribution and vegetation. A watering facility is sometimes installed to keep livestock out of streams and other surface water areas where water quality is a concern. Learn more about watering facilities.
Most agriculture producers that participate in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) have already implemented conservation practices on their land.CSP offers additional opportunities to expand on existing conservation efforts by offering conservation practices, enhancements, bundles, and other conservation activities. For example, if you have been planting a cover crop, you may decide to try an enhancement for multi-species cover crop or implement a deep-rooted cover crop to break up soil compaction.
If you decide to enroll in CSP, the local NRCS conservation planner will have a one-on-one consultation with you to evaluate your current management system and the natural resources on your land. Then the NRCS conservation planner will present a variety of CSP conservation activities for you to consider implementing on your land in order for you to address additional natural resource concerns. The variety of CSP conservation activities offered give you a lot of freedom to select enhancements, practices, or bundles that help you meet your management goals. These improvements help bring out your land’s best potential.
Once you choose the conservation activities that best fit your operation, CSP offers annual payments for installing these activities on your land and operating and maintaining your current conservation efforts.
USDA Services – Farm Bill
Farm Bills are annually adjusted to prioritize USDA programs and offer services within the budget cycle of the funding year. The 2018 Farm Bill recently became law, providing funding for the nation’s major conservation programs. As the federal government’s primary agricultural and food policy tool, the Farm Bill supports many USDA programs. This includes the conservation programs that provide farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners with technical and financial assistance to address resource concerns on their land.
Assistance includes both technical expertise and funding to help put conservation practices on fields and in forests in Ohio and across the country. For example, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service helps farmers conserve water with more efficient irrigation systems and improve soil health with cover crops. NRCS works with landowners and land managers to heal eroded farm fields and improve surface water quality. NRCS works to promote rotational grazing systems which enables pastures to grow better food for livestock while keeping grass in place to prevent soil erosion. Small farm assistance such as High Tunnel production of vegetables and fruit are available also.
This assistance is made available through a variety of conservation programs. Key changes with the 2018 Farm Bill include:
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
FSA began accepting applications on June 3, 2019, for certain practices under the continuous CRP, offering a one-year extension to existing CRP participants who have expiring CRP contracts of 14 years or less, and reopening enrollment for existing Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) agreements.
FSA plans to offer a General CRP sign-up in December 2019.
Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP): On April 26, 2019, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) released guidance to State committees to identify RCPP coordinators in each State.
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP): On May 10, 2019, NRCS posted guidance for state conservationists regarding the handling of participant requests to apply for new contracts, as well as extending unexpired contracts from 2014. Additional guidance was posted regarding changes needed for existing RCPP partnership agreements to enroll in new CSP contracts.
Technical Changes to NRCS Conservation Programs: On May 6, 2019, NRCS published an interim final rule to make existing regulations consistent with the 2018 Farm Bill. These include:
Waiving duplicative requirements under the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program;
Expanding the purposes of the Healthy Forests Reserve Program to allow protection of at-risk species and allowing permanent easements on Tribal lands;
Authorizing that certification of technical service providers be through a qualified non-federal entity; and
Requiring that $3 million of funds to implement the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program be used to encourage public access for hunting and other recreational activities on wetlands enrolled in the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.
Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG):
On May 15, 2019, NRCS announced that it is investing $25 million per year over the next five years to help support On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials, part of the CIG and available to farmers eligible to participate in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. NRCS will accept proposals through July 15, 2019 for the new On-Farm Trials.
On May 30, 2019, NRCS announced the availability of $12.5 million to support CIG on agricultural lands. NRCS will accept proposals through July 30, 2019.
The USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.
December 14 marked the Richland Soil & Water Conservation District’s first completed easement in the Farmland Preservation Program also known as The Clean Ohio Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP). Cass & Lisa Gwirtz applied to the program and their farm has been approved by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) Office of Farmland Preservation in conjunction with Richland Soil & Water Conservation District, who acts as the local sponsor for the program. This means their farm is protected by a perpetual easement from future residential or commercial development and will remain a farm for generations to come.
Watch this video on the importance of the Farmland Preservation Program to the Gwirtz family.
If you would like to consider the advantages of preserving your farmland for future generations, there are two options:
The Agricultural Easement Donation Program (AEDP) is a tool for landowners to protect their farm’s soils, natural resource features, and scenic open space. It provides landowners the opportunity to donate the easement rights on viable farmland to the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA). The department assures the land remains in agricultural use forever. The standard cost for services needed to secure the easement (i.e., title examination, title policy, escrow, closing and recordation) are covered by ODA. All easement transactions are permanent. They are recorded on the property deed and will transfer with the land to successive owners.
The Clean Ohio Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP) provides funding to farmland owners for placing an agricultural easement on their property. Monies are issued for up to 75 percent of the appraised value of a farm’s development rights. A payment cap has been set at $2,000 per acre, with a maximum of $500,000 per farm. All easement transactions are recorded on the property deed and transfer with the land to successive owners. Funds from the purchase of these easements are invested in the local economy by the landowners who use them by expanding their farming operations, purchasing new equipment, reducing debt, adding conservation practices, planning for retirement, sending their children to college or for other purposes. When the state purchases a farmland easement, the proceeds are plowed into Ohio’s economy.
The 2022 Farmland Preservation Program for Richland County is open, and accepting applications thru March 4, 2022. For additional information visit the ODA webpage on Farmland Preservation or contact Matt Wallace at 419-747-8687 for details.
The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) provides financial and technical assistance to help conserve agricultural lands and wetlands and their related benefits. Under the Agricultural Land Easements component (ALE) of ACEP, NRCS provides financial assistance to eligible partners for purchasing Agricultural Land Easements that protect the agricultural use and conservation values of eligible land. In the case of working farms, the program helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture. The program also protects grazing uses and related conservation values by conserving grassland. Eligible partners include Indian tribes, state and local governments, and non-governmental organizations that have farmland or grassland protection programs. Under the ALE component, NRCS may contribute up to 50 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement. Where NRCS determines that grasslands of special environmental significance will be protected, NRCS may contribute up to 75 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement. In Fiscal Year 2019, the applicant will need to describe how the grassland offered for enrollment fits the definition of Grassland of Special Environmental Significance. Easement values for ALE are based on a fair market appraisal. Though signup is continuous, funding selections are made at specific times during the fiscal year.
The Ohio Land Trust Directory was created by the Coalition of Ohio Land Trusts. Formed in 2004, the Coalition of Ohio Land Trusts (COLT) is a voluntary network of land trusts and other conservation organizations dedicated to advancing land conservation for public benefit in Ohio. COLT provides a forum for professional and technical support to the conservation organizations that work to conserve land. Ohio land trusts have diverse but complementary missions, ranging from the protection of watersheds, to the preservation of prime farmland, to the restoration of natural areas.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture Office of Farmland Preservation implements the Clean Ohio Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program, The Ohio Agricultural Easement Donation Program and provides technical assistance to communities implementing the Agricultural Security Area program.
What is a Cover Crop? Cover crops are plants that provide multiple benefits in a cropping system generally planted after the primary crop has been harvested.
Benefits of Cover Crops
Cover Crops provide a multitude of benefits which include the prevention of erosion, improve soil’s physical and biological properties, replace nutrients in the soil, suppress weeds, improves the availability of water in soil, and break pest cycles along with many other benefits. The species of cover crop selected along with its management determine the benefits and returns.
Some popular planting methods include traditional planter planting, aerial seeding, and broad cast seeding depending upon the type of seed being planted. Get more information from NRCS about cover crop selection, termination, and planting guides.
NRCS EQIP Cover Crop Program
The NRCS Disaster Recovery EQIP funding opportunity to plant cover crops on flooded cropland acreage. The sign-up begins July 1 and continues until the funding is exhausted.
The 2023 Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District Cover Crop Program is offering $12.00/acre with a cap of 200 approved acres per applicant across eligible counties in the jurisdictional boundary of the MWCD District unless fields are located within one of the specified MWCD Lake watersheds. For more information, contact Matt Wallace.
This resource provides some of the positives and negatives associated with an extensive list of cover crops we see in Ohio.
***Please Note, the disclaimer in the Fact Sheets that some of the seeding rates and dates may be slightly different than Appendix A. Producers need to follow Appendix A for H2Ohio, EQIP, and other cost-share programs.
The USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.
H2Ohio is a water quality program that offers monetary incentives to farmers/producers for implementing conservation-focused best management practices (BMPs). The aim is to encourage producers within the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) to adopt practices that will help decrease phosphorus runoff from agricultural land. Lake Erie has been the focus of this project due to the harmful algal blooms that have occurred there. In 2020, the H2Ohio program was rolled out to fourteen counties within the WLEB. In 2021, the Ohio Department of Agriculture rolled out H2Ohio to the remaining ten counties within the WLEB, Richland County being one of them!
What It Consists Of
A suite of data driven BMPs make up the program. They include: establishing cover crops, adding small grains into your crop rotation, implementation of an SWCD/ODA approved nutrient management plan, manure/fertilizer placement and rate, and drainage water management.
Why It Matters
H2Ohio is a voluntary program that offers incentives to farmers who meet the requirements for the specific BMPs. In addition to the incentives, producers have the opportunity through H2Ohio to participate in the stewardship of their natural resources, as well as the resources of Ohioans next door or downstream. Again, the goal of the program is to decrease nutrient runoff from farmland. Additionally, the H2Ohio practices may assist in increasing soil health, conserving soil nutrients, and providing opportunities to try things a little differently.
The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is a USDA Farm Bill conservation program that offers farmers and landowners financial compensation for taking cropland out of production and establishing conservation practices such as buffer strips, grasslands, and wetlands to improve water quality for a contract period of 15 years. The new H2Ohio Water Quality Incentive Program is being offered in combination with Lake Erie CREP and provides a onetime payment of $2,000 per acre for new Lake Erie CREP wetlands and forested riparian buffers (buffer strip with trees) to help improve water quality in the Lake Erie watershed. More wetlands and forested riparian buffers will help reduce phosphorus runoff into Lake Erie. Both conservation practices are on the H2Ohio top 10 list of phosphorus reduction practices.
Examples of Conservation Practices
Access Roads
Farming operations often utilize frequently traveled areas to access particular areas of the farm. Sometimes these areas become rutted, muddy, pot-holes. This can be due to an unsuitable soil type in that area, the physical location of the area or poor weather conditions. An Access Road can be used to protect these areas. They are developed by installing a particular depth of gravel material to withstand frequent travel. They protect soil, water, air, wildlife and other adjacent resource areas.
Agrichemical Facility
Many farming operations frequently use fertilizers and chemicals to maintain their crops. Rather than hire a company to apply these chemicals, an operator may want to apply their own. To do this they need to have storage tanks on-site to store the appropriate chemicals. If any of the tanks were to develop a leak it could be a big threat to natural resources. An Agrichemical Facility addresses this situation. It is a designed basin with an impermeable liner where all storage tanks are placed. In the event of a leak or a spill while mixing, all chemicals would be contained, pumped out and disposed of properly.
Fences
Livestock operations need to keep their animals within certain areas. Also, it has been found to be beneficial to have smaller pasture fields and rotate livestock within these fields at regular intervals. This promotes healthier vegetation in the pastures, better nourished livestock and erosion protection.
Filter Strip
A filter strip, typically adjacent to a ditch, stream or river, is an area of vegetation established for removing sediment, organic material, and other pollutants from runoff and wastewater.
Grassed Waterway
When a whole field is tilled and planted, there may be areas where two hill slopes come together (what we call a swale). During a rain, water will naturally flow to these swales and eventually to a stream or creek. In some instances, the slope, soil type, tilling type, tilling direction or all of the above are not adequate to hold the soil in place. Eventually, these swales become gullies that can be difficult or impossible to cross and they carry sediment to the steam or creek. Grassed Waterways are engineered, shallow grassed channels designed to handle the water flow, keep soil in place while allowing cropping equipment to safely cross over it.
Grazing Management (Prescribed)
This is the management of the kind of animal, animal number, grazing distribution, length of grazing and/or browsing periods and timing of use to provide grazed plants sufficient recovery time to meet planned objectives. The management of livestock movements is based on the rate of plant growth, available forage, and allowable utilization target. Proper grazing management will maintain and improve vegetation and soil conditions, improve water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat.
Livestock operations utilize certain areas frequently to feed and water their animals. Sometimes these areas become rutted, muddy pot-holes. This can be due to an unsuitable soil type in that area, the physical location of the area, poor weather conditions or frequent use. A Heavy Use Pad can be used to protect these highly used areas. They are developed by installing a particular depth of gravel material to withstand the frequent travel. They protect soil, water, air, wildlife and other adjacent resource areas.
Seasonal High Tunnel
This practice is intended to extend the growing season earlier and later in the growing year. Tunnel systems are designed to extend the cropping season and benefit natural resources by improving plant quality, soil quality, and water quality through methods such as reduced nutrient and pesticide transport. A seasonal high tunnel is a polyethylene-covered structure with or without electricity, heating, or mechanical ventilation systems. High tunnels modify the climate to create more favorable growing conditions for vegetable and other specialty crops grown in the natural soil beneath it. Crops must be grown in the soil under the high tunnel, not in pots, growing racks or hydroponics systems. The structure utilizes passive solar heating and can use a supplemental heating system, if required. Ventilation is usually provided by manually rolling the sides up or down. However, mechanical systems may be used to improve effectiveness. High tunnel systems are not greenhouses.
Nutrient management involves managing the amount, placement, and timing of plant nutrients to obtain optimum yields and minimize the risk of surface and groundwater pollution.
The 4Rs were created to educate and promote wise nutrient management to conserve water quality and soil health using four “rights”:
Right Source: Ensure a balanced supply of essential nutrients, considering both naturally available sources and the characteristics of specific products, in plant available forms.
Right Rate: Assess and make decisions based on soil nutrient supply and plant demand.
Right Time: Assess and make decisions based on the dynamics of crop uptake, soil supply, nutrient loss risks, and field operation logistics.
Right Place: Address root-soil dynamics and nutrient movement, and manage spatial variability within the field to meet site-specific crop needs and limit potential losses from the field.
Waste Storage Facility
The main byproduct of livestock operations is manure. Fortunately, manure is also a valuable resource, and it can be applied back on the land where it will provide nutrients and organic matter to the soil. However, manure cannot be applied at any time. Care must be taken to apply manure when the land is ready to receive it. It cannot be applied when the ground is saturated with rain, right before a rain event or on frozen-snow covered ground. Manure obviously cannot be applied when agricultural crops are actively growing. As you can see it can be difficult to find suitable conditions to apply the manure. A lot of operations do not have the adequate manure storage capacity to wait for the ideal application situation. A Waste Storage Facility provides a stable facility with enough storage capacity to hold the waste until ideal land application opportunity exist. The storage structure types include liquid waste storage ponds or tanks, and solid waste stacking structures.
Windbreaks
Windbreaks or shelterbelts are single to multiple rows of trees and possibly shrubs planted in a linear fashion. They are established upwind of the areas to be protected. Windbreaks and shelterbelts are primarily used to reduce soil erosion from wind; protect crops, livestock, and farmsteads from wind; area related microclimate effects; control snow deposition; and improve air quality by intercepting drifting chemicals and odors.
Energy
Conservation practices contribute to energy efficiency and fuel savings.
A conservation plan ensures that the land’s unique natural resources are managed in the best possible way, while maintaining sustainability and productivity.
Other benefits of a conservation plan:
Help landowner comply with environmental regulations
Qualify landowner for USDA conservation programs that can help him or her implement conservation measures
Adapts to changing farm or ranch operational goals
Establishes an implementation schedule that fits landowner’s timetable and resources
