Agriculture | Richland Soil & Water

Options to Preserve Your Farmland

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.

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 Dept. of Agriculture 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, you may want to 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 be enrolled into the program.
Agricultural Easement Donation Program (AEDP), which includes some tax benefits.

There are also additional optional United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) programs that are similar in nature, and you can enroll at the same time as the above. If you would like further information, please contact us or the Farm Service Agency for additional information.

Attend Animal Mortality Composting Certification July 10

Agriculture

Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (Richland SWCD) is hosting an Animal Mortality Composting Certification class on July 10, 2024, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at 1495 W. Longview Ave Mansfield,

Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (Richland SWCD) is hosting an Animal Mortality Composting Certification class on July 10, 2024, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at 1495 W. Longview Ave Mansfield, Ohio. Before you compost dead livestock, you must obtain an Animal Mortality Composting Certification. The certification is a legal requirement per the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) Rule 901: 13: 1 – 13. The complete Rule is found at https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/chapter-901:13-1.

The Certification presenter is Glen Arnold with the Hancock County Ohio State University Extension. Mr. Arnold has specialized in manure nutrient management since 2012. His work has involved subsurface swine manure applications into wheat, side dressing corn with liquid livestock manure on emerged corn and replacing commercial side dress nitrogen with liquid manure on emerged corn. The cost to attend the Certification is $15.00 per person and includes pizza, a copy of Mr. Arnold’s material, and a certificate showing proof of certification.

Reservations and payment is due by July 8. To register for the certification please send an email to Wallace.Matt@richlandswcd.net or call 419.747.8687 with your name, organization name, phone number, email address and animal species. Make payment payable to Richland SWCD and mailed, or dropped off at the Richland SWCD office located at 1495 W. Longview Avenue, Suite 205B, Mansfield, OH 44906. Questions may be directed to Matt.

Apply for the MWCD 2024 Cover Crop Cost Share Program

Agriculture

Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (Richland SWCD) is partnering with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) on the cost share program for producers who plant cover crops.

In 2023,

Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (Richland SWCD) is partnering with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) on the cost share program for producers who plant cover crops.

In 2023, the MWCD cover crop cost share program assisted in getting cover crops planted on 140.73 acres of Richland County farmland. The benefits of planting cover crops include preventing and reducing erosion, improving soil health, increased crop productivity, and farm profitability.

Applications are due by July 9, 2024.

Items of Importance:

The 2024 MWCD Cover Crop program cost share is $12.00 per acre.
The general cap is 200 acres per participant unless cover crops are planted in the Charles Mill or Pleasant Hill Lake watersheds.
The 200-acre cap applies across multiple counties if the landowner is signing up in multiple counties.
This program cannot be enrolled in another program to receive funding for the same cover crop such as the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) or H2Ohio.
There are no exceptions to the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) seedling dates and rates. If a mix is going to be planted, the earliest seeding date of the species within the mix is the date that it must be planted by such as radishes.
Wheat is allowed and can be harvested.

2024 Cover Crop Application

MWCD Assessment Area

To get more information contact Matt Wallace by phone at 419.747.8687 or email.

USDA-NRCS News

Popular NRCS Conservation Program Expediting Rankings, Funding Contracts

Ohio producers interested in the popular Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Inflation Reduction Act – Environmental Quality Incentives Program – (IRA-EQIP) funding can take advantage of the ACT NOW process, which immediately approves and obligates applications when the application meets or exceeds a state-determined minimum ranking score. Applicants will experience a targeted, rapid streamlined application and contract approval process. EQIP and IRA-EQIP provide financial and technical resources to producers and landowners to improve their operations, commodity production and environmental benefits.

Call 419-747-8691, Ext. 3, visit the Ohio NRCS EQIP website or visit our website for more information.

Conservation Stewardship Program Funding Available to Ohio Landowners, Producers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Ohio Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications from landowners interested in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to build on existing conservation efforts to increase operational efficiencies and environmental benefits as well as reduce overall input costs. This year, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding is providing additional financial opportunities for select conservation practices and enhancements to increase direct climate mitigation benefits.

Ohio NRCS is increasing the minimum annual payment for agricultural producers participating in CSP from $1,500 to $4,000 starting in fiscal year 2024. The increase addresses challenges faced by small scale, underserved, and urban producers and improves equity in the program by making participation more financially beneficial for smaller operations. The new minimum payment is available for new and renewed CSP contracts, and applications for the program.

Additionally, producers and landowners can take advantage of the ACT NOW process, which immediate approves and obligates applications when the application meets or exceeds a state-determined minimum ranking score. Applicants will experience a targeted, rapid streamlined application and contract approval process.

For more information, call 419-747-8691, Ext. 3, visit the Ohio NRCS CSP webpage or visit our website.

2024 H2Ohio Enrollment is Now Open

H2Ohio is now accepting new enrollments for 2024! H2Ohio is a voluntary program that pays farmers to adopt practices that will reduce phosphorus leaving the farm, such as planting cover crops.

The first step to participate in H2Ohio is to have a Voluntary Nutrient Management Plan. If you wish to seek the opportunity for possible funding to help with the cost of a Voluntary Nutrient Management Plan and you are willing to work with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and a Technical Service Provider, you can apply for EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) in January 2024 by contacting Jason Ruhl, NRCS District Conservationist, or Jordan Miller, Soil Conservationist at 419-747-8691 x3. More information here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/apply-for-environmental-quality-incentives-program-eqip.