Agriculture | Richland Soil & Water

H2Ohio Program Updates: Important Reminders

Make sure you’re meeting H2Ohio deadlines!

H2Ohio Reminders

We’ve met with all of our current participants in the H2Ohio program and have been gathering the necessary information to verify crop year 2024 practices.

2024 Nutrient Management Documentation: If you have any outstanding documentation needed to complete crop year 2024 nutrient management, please get it to us as soon as possible.
DEADLINE: January 31 – Last day to turn in information for 2024 Cover Crops/2024 Small Grain maps/locations: We have set a strict deadline for gathering cover crop and small grain establishment locations – January 31, 2025. Please provide us with planting maps or field names/locations by this date. This includes new producers to the program for crop year 2025 who planted overwintering cover crops by November 1, 2024.
DEADLINE: March 15 – 2024 Cover crop, 2024 Small Grains, and 2024 Forage documents: March 15, 2025 is the last day to turn in 2024 cover crop/2024 forage seed tags, bills, tests, and/or total weight, and double crop seed bills (if you planted a double crop behind your 2024 small grains).

Practice Specific Reminders

Cover Crops

Cover crops must be maintained until March 15. No fall or winter full-width tillage is permitted.
- Strip-till and tilling are allowed, but producers may not work-down tile lines until after March 15.
- Crop can be harvested as a forage or grazed after March 15.
Manure and/or fertilizer, based on voluntary nutrient management plans (VNMP) can resume after March 15.

Small Grains

No full-width tillage or any Phosphorus-containing fertilizer and/or manure applications are allowed after the cover crop is planted or the double crop is harvested or until March 15. Exceptions apply for tile work and strip tillage fertilizer placement.

Forage Requirements

Forage fields shall be maintained until March 15. This means no full-width tillage and no Phosphorus-containing fertilizer and/or manure applications during this period. Exceptions apply for tile work and strip tillage fertilizer placement.
Payment will not be made if the overwintering forage residue is too close cut. The standard says that residue must be a minimum of 4 inches tall by October 15 each year.
Payments for forages are to be made in the spring of the year following establishment and every spring it’s enrolled as a forage thereafter.

Soil Tests for Nutrient Management

Soil tests cannot be older than 4 years. If you are not on a regular schedule, please make sure that you check which fields require updated soil tests this fall.

**As an H2Ohio participant, you are responsible for following the standards/guidelines for the above practices. If you need additional copies of the practice standards, we are happy to supply them. **

Supporting Landowners: Pond Clinic, Fish Sale, Farmland Preservation, and More!

Help us, help you!

Pond Clinic

We will be hosting a pond clinic at the Longview Center on February 25th from 5:30pm – 7:30pm. Steve Fender of Fender’s Fish Hatchery will discuss topics such as fish species selection, pond maintenance, aquatic weed control, and predator mitigation. Our office will also share how we can assist with pond design, usage, soil suitability testing, and their endless possibilities. Additionally, we will be discussing the benefits of installing a dry hydrant in your pond for fire suppression and additional homeowner benefits. Watch our webpage for additional updates.

Fish Sale

We are having our annual fish sale again this year! Orders are DUE April 17th. Please place orders online or call about in-person ordering. For more information about placing orders and fish species available follow this link.

Pick up is April 25 at the Richland County Fairground Horse Barn from 10:00am to 11:30am. Please bring enough containers to hold the purchased fish. Each container needs an unscented poly liner to hold oxygen and keep fish alive and well during transport. Fill the container/liner one-third full with water from the pond that the fish will be living in. For more information check out our fish sale pick up page or give us a call at 419-747-8686.

Order Fish Online

Farmland Preservation

Do you have a farm that you want to make sure that it will stay in agricultural production forever? Or has it been in your family for multiple generations? The Ohio Department of Agriculture has programs to preserve and recognize these milestones. For more information, call our office.

What’s a Floodplain?

What is a floodplain? A floodplain is an area adjacent to a river or stream that becomes inundated with water during times of heavy or prolonged rainfall. Building in the floodplain presents challenges such as the need for hydraulic and hydrologic studies, additional permits, and higher construction costs to elevate structures.

Search your address to see if you’re in the floodplain

Manure Management

Applying manure to fields is common, but better manure management can prevent unintentional runoff. Our office can assist producers with best manure management techniques. Drainage issues are also a frequent concern during heavy rainfall, and many landowners overlook problem areas that can lead to flooding. For more information on these topics, visit our website or contact Technician Matt Wallace at 419-747-8687.

Act Now: USDA-NRCS Conservation Incentives for 2025

Learn about USDA-NRCS conservation programs. Sign up by January 31, 2025. Contact details and resources included!

The USDA-NRCS Environmental Quality Incentive Program and Conservation Stewardship Program for fiscal year 2025 sign-up deadline is January 31, 2025. For more information, please contact the Richland office at 419-747-8691 x 3 or the website at Conservation Stewardship Program – Ohio | Natural Resources Conservation Service. Feel free to check out Farmers.gov also. For email information, please contact Jason.ruhl@usda.gov or Jordan.miller@usda.gov .

USDA-NRCS is An Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer, and Lender

Richland County Proves to be a “Rich Land” in the Soil Your Undies Experiment

This year’s county fair brought an unexpected highlight – dirty underwear from across Richland County! As part of the Soil Your Undies challenge, our team buried a pair of 100% cotton underwear underground for 60 days in each of the 18 townships to showcase soil health. Rich soil teeming with microbes…

A map of all the buried underwear locations.
*Credit: Richland SWCD*

Dirty Undies!

Rich soil teeming with microbes and worms will break down the fabric quickly, while less active soils will show little change. The healthier the soil, the faster the cotton underwear decomposes providing a fun and visual way to assess the vitality of local soils.

Our Underwear on Display…

One common joke among visitors after seeing the display was that Richland County should be called “Rich Land County” due to the thriving soils in some townships. Many visitors had questions about replicating the experiment in their backyard and we were able to give them our extra pairs of undies

Our display quickly became a hit at the fair, sparking curiosity among visitors of all ages. Fairgoers were amazed to see the varying levels of underwear decomposition and how it correlated with the land’s use.

Marilyn Roe, Richland SWCD Volunteer, at our 2024 Richland County Fair booth

After the two-month burial period, we retrieved the undies and put them on display at the county fair. The results ranged from pairs that were barely recognizable to those with minimal decay. This visual showcase highlighted the differences in soil health across the county.

A Lesson in Soil Health

This experiment was more than just entertaining – it reminded us of the importance of maintaining healthy soil. Local farmers especially took note of how soil health can affect crop yield, water retention, and sustainability. Sites where the underwear remained mostly intact now have a clear opportunity to investigate practices that could improve their soil health like adding compost or using cover crops.

Overall, the Soil Your Undies experiment was a great success. The positive reception at the fair showed just how eager our community is to learn about environmental stewardship. Richland County is ready to prove that it’s not just rich in history, but rich in land too.

We want to extend a big thank you to the landowners who allowed us to bury underwear on their properties! This project wouldn’t have been possible without their generosity, curiosity, and support.

We Held a Grazing School!

The Pastures for Profit Grazing School classroom sessions were held on the evenings of July 23rd and 25th with a pasture walk day on July 27th. Pastures for Profit is an educational course providing science-based pasture management…

The Pastures for Profit Grazing School classroom sessions were held on the evenings of July 23^rd and 25^th with a pasture walk day on July 27^th.

Pastures for Profit is an educational course providing science-based pasture management information to Ohio farmers. Throughout the course, participants learn how to provide and maintain healthy and sustainable forage systems for the animals in their care. Participants of our grazing school learned about goal setting, soils, soil fertility, plant physiology, animal needs, paddock design, fencing options, extending the grazing season, and the economics of grazing operations.

Thank you again to Randy & Eileen Eisenhauer for allowing us to use their pastures to educate the participants! The pasture walk day was a hot one, but that didn’t stop farmers from asking great questions and prompting great discussions! Thank you to all our participants and presenters for making this a great event! We all profited from the conversations and knowledge shared.

Pastures for Profit was a combined effort of the following entities: The Ohio State University, the Ohio Department of Agriculture, USDA-NRCS, and the Ohio Forage & Grasslands Council.

Megan Burgess (State Grazing Specialist, USDA-NRCS) leads one of the nightly classes with Jason Ruhl (District Conservationist, USDA-NRCS). *Credit: Richland SWCD*

Conservation in Action! – Agriculture Program Notes

H2Ohio’s Impact, Why Grassed Waterways?, and Field Work

H2Ohio Wraps Up for 2023 Program Year

In H2Ohio, verifications for one year of the program don’t wrap up until halfway through the next. That is why we are sharing 2023’s impact instead of 2024’s.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture designated over $2.7 million for Richland County farmers in H2Ohio. 2023 appropriated cost share alone totaled nearly $700,000.

Our participating farmers worked hard in 2023 as you can see from the impact infographics below.

Overall, H2Ohio farmers received north of $320,000 in cost share last year. The total cost share paid to date totals over $700,000.

As we look ahead to the coming years we are excited to announce that 11 new producers were signed up for H2Ohio this year! This brings the total cropland acres enrolled through Richland County to 25,500, the most we have had since the program began!

All numbers are approximate

For more information on H2Ohio, visit these links!

Our H2Ohio Page

H2Ohio.gov

Agriculture Best Management Practice Highlight: Grassed Waterways

Ever pass a farm field and wonder why a seemingly random strip of grass runs through the middle of it? Chances are, you are looking at a grassed waterway.

When a whole field is tilled and planted, there may be areas where two hill slopes come together (called a swale). When it rains, water will naturally flow to these swales and eventually to a stream or creek.

In conventional cropping and tillage systems, these areas can erode into gullies and are difficult or impossible to cross with farm equipment. Furthermore, they will continue to erode as water carries the soil away.

Grassed waterways are engineered, shallow grassed channels designed to handle concentrated water flows. The grass slows water down so it is less likely to carve gullies and the grass’s roots help keep the soil in place.

If you think your field could benefit from a grassed waterway or two, we can help. Give our office a call at 419-747-8686.

Seeing Conservation in Action

Over the spring/summer, Richland SWCD technicians helped our USDA-NRCS partners by performing practice check-outs. In other words, these practices were completed and needed to be verified that they were done correctly. As a result, our technicians saw some conservation practices in action!

Technicians verified 7 acres of Grassed Waterways, 4 acres of Quail Buffer, 5 acres of Hardwood Tree Planting, and 25 acres of Tall Grass Prairie. The practices our technicians verified encompass nearly 40 acres and are helping to reduce soil erosion and promote wildlife habitat and diversity.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) offers and administers a wide variety of voluntary, cost-shared conservation practices for farmers to implement on their land and homestead.

Richland SWCD technicians assist USDA-NRCS with technical assistance and administrative efforts and are available to help producers interested in programs and practices offered in Richland County. Our technicians also assist those who do not wish to be enrolled in government programs but want to implement conservation practices.

Our USDA-NRCS Programs Page

USDA-NRCS National Home Page

Did You Know that You Can Preserve Farmland in Ohio?

Has your farm been in your family for more than a century? Would you like to preserve and honor that history? If so, Ohio’s Historic Family Farm Program might be a good choice…

Ohio’s Historic Family Farm Program

Has your farm been in your family for more than a century? Would you like to preserve and honor that history? If so, Ohio’s Historic Family Farm Program might be a good choice.

There are three designations for historic farms in Ohio: Century Farms (in the family for 100-146 years), Sesquicentennial Farms (in the family for 150-199 years), and Bicentennial Farms (200+ years in the family).

For more information, you can call the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) at 614-752-4505 or email them (see below).

agcentury@agri.ohio.gov

Farmland Preservation Program

Do you want to preserve your farmland as an agricultural asset in your community, in perpetuity? If so, look into the Farmland Preservation Program offered by the Ohio Department of Agriculture and sponsored by your local Soil and Water Conservation District.

This program has two options for preservation:

Clean Ohio Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LEAPP) where you compete in a ranking process to enter the program.
Agricultural Easement Donation Program (AEDP), which includes some tax benefits.

There are similar programs offered by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS). You can enroll in them at the same time as ODA’s programs. Contact us or the Farm Service Agency for more information.

A Summer of Agricultural Outreach

Thanks to the encouragement of our partners during our five-year strategic planning process in 2023, we at Richland Soil & Water Conservation District (Richland SWCD) saw a clear need to re-focus on agricultural outreach. In the past, our district has found it difficult to do this due to financial and staffing limitations. Now, thanks to community support, we are able to offer these services again. Most notably, support for these services was generously provided by a grant from the Richland County Foundation.

St. Mary’s Farm Field Day

We hit the ground running this summer. On May 28, as the school year drew to a close, Richland SWCD was invited to the McKown farm for St. Mary’s (Shelby) Farm Field Day. Technician Jordan Keller brought along the rainfall simulator to discuss how different land uses impact water quality.

Each of the five groups of students ages K-6 grade buried a pair of (clean) underwear for our Soil Your Undies experiment. Locations where students buried the underwear included: Woodland Edge, Turf Grass, Conventional Tilled Cropland, Pasture, and a Hay Field. The students had a blast with the Soil Your Undies experiment and a pair of underwear seemed to end up on a kid’s head in every group.

Technician Jordan Keller with the rainfall simulator.

Don’t forget to stop by our booth at the fair this year to check out our county wide “Soil Your Undies” challenge! What is this? Click or tap at the bottom of this page and scroll down the the article from the last newsletter!

Grazing Field Day for Plain Growers

On June 14^th Richland SWCD hosted a Field Day for Plain Growers emphasizing grazing management practices. State Grazing Specialist, Megan Burgess – United States Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), led a field day where participants enjoyed learning about pasture weeds and forage identification, grazing equipment, rotational grazing, and a pasture visit.

A HUGE thank you to the Randy and Eileen Eisenhauer for letting us use their pasture, last-minute, for demonstrations on how to use a grazing stick. Randy was more than happy to discuss the management decisions he’s made on his pasture and highlighted how Richland SWCD and USDA-NRCS have assisted with improving his operation.

If you feel like you missed out on your opportunity to learn about grazing, you’re in luck! Richland SWCD will be hosting a three-part grazing school series called Pastures for Profit Grazing School July 23rd & 25^th from 6-9 pm with a pasture walk at Eisenhauer farm scheduled for July 27^th from 9am-2pm. The cost is $30 for the series and includes a grazing stick and USB with course manual. Registration is requested by July 19.

The Eisenhauer pasture. Learning how to use a grazing stick with State Grazing Specialist Megan Burgess (far left).

Links! Click or tap below:

We’re Soiling Our Undies This Year!

Pastures for Profit Grazing School

Fun Was Had on the Farm, Despite the Rain

The Family Fun on the Farm Festival has been a Richland County tradition for four years. The event offers a family friendly and accessible atmosphere where visitors can learn about farm life,

The Family Fun on the Farm Festival has been a Richland County tradition for four years. The event offers a family friendly and accessible atmosphere where visitors can learn about farm life, where their food comes from, and conservation.

Visitors can learn to shoot arrows at the Ohio Department of Natural Resource’s (ODNR) archery trailer, go fishing in the pond below Louis Bromfield’s house, go on a wagon ride, get up close and personal with farm animals, and interact with local organizations (including yours truly, Richland Soil & Water Conservation District! – or Richland SWCD for short)

Of course, everyone’s hope for an event as big as this one is for perfect weather. Unfortunately, there was no such cooperation from Mother Nature. It drizzled on and off during the festival held from noon to 4 pm on Saturday, June 29. It even poured once.

However, despite the bummer weather, the Festival was still a huge success. Approximately three hundred people came out from the community to brave the rain. Smiles were still lighting up on kids faces as they planted their own green beans or got a fun farm animal stamp at the Richland SWCD booth. Visitors were very thankful we held the festival, co-sponsored with Malabar Farm State Park, and told us so.

To all our partners who stood out in the weather for a few hours on a Saturday, thank you! Special thanks needs to go out to Malabar Farm State Park, ODNR, their respective staff and the many volunteers who hosted and assisted. And to our soggy but happy visitors, hats off to you. You are the reason we do what we do.

Agriculture Program Updates – Summer 2024

H2Ohio | USDA-NRCS

H2Ohio Update

H2Ohio | USDA-NRCS

H2Ohio Update

Spring and early summer have been an exciting time for H2Ohio in Richland County! Richland Soil & Water Conservation District (Richland SWCD) is happy to report that nine new producers have enrolled in the program this year, representing approximately 5,450 total acres! Enrollment will likely wrap up in the next couple of weeks, so if you are still interested or know someone who might be, talk to us as soon as possible.

In other news, technicians Jordan and Evan have been steadily finishing 2023’s practice verifications, completing field checks, and getting ready to dive into 2024 nutrient management meetings with current participants.

If you are interested in seeing the impact of H2Ohio across the state, tap or click the “H2Ohio Progress Maps” button below to see some fascinating maps developed by the State (this will take you to the main H2Ohio site, scroll down to the “H2Ohio Dashboards on the DataOhio Portal”.

Our H2Ohio Page

H2Ohio Progress Maps

H2Ohio Practice Highlight: Conservation Crop Rotation – Small Grains

Just in the last few weeks, farmers that grow wheat or other winter annuals (like rye or spelts) for grain have been harvesting it. For H2Ohio, farmers are allowed to enroll in a practice called “Conservation Crop Rotations – Small Grains”.

Diversifying crop rotations includes many benefits: increasing soil and crop health, decreasing erosion and pest/disease pressures, covering the soil for longer periods of the year, increasing cash crop yields, and many more. For 2023, H2Ohio producers in Richland County completed about 770 acres of this practice. Here are a few resources for further reading:

“More Diverse Crop Rotations Improve Yield, Yield Stability, and Soil Health” – University of Nebraska-Lincoln

“Building Soils for Better Crops – Diversifying Cropping Systems” – Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education

“Diversifying crop rotations improves environmental outcomes while keeping farms profitable” – University of Minnesota Twin Cities

USDA-NRCS Update

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) helps people help the land. They offer and administer a wide range of voluntary, cost-shared conservation practices for farmers to implement on their land and homestead. Richland SWCD assists USDA-NRCS with technical assistance and some administration.

So far this year, Richland SWCD technicians helped our USDA-NRCS partner with three conservation plans that have the objective of improving soil quality. The three plans encompass about 80 acres of Early Successional Habitat Development, Tree/Shrub Establishment, and Upland Wildlife Habitat Management.

Richland SWCD technicians are available to assist producers interested in programs and practices available in Richland county. Our technicians also assist those who are not or do not want to be enrolled in USDA-NRCS programs but are still interested in related best management practices.

Our USDA-NRCS Programs Page

USDA-NRCS National Home Page