MWCD Funds New Interseeder for Ashland SWCD

Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District recently announced that Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District has been selected as a recipient of their Partners in Watershed Management grant for the purchase of a cover crop interseeder to reduce erosion on cropland in Ashland County.

“We are excited to bring this new cover crop technology to farmers in Ashland County, and we appreciate the support the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District provides to our Ashland County farmers with their long-term commitment to implementing cover crops,” said Jane Houin, Ashland SWCD program administrator.

Ashland SWCD’s cover crop program growth continues to rise.

Interseeders are designed to allow farmers to plant cover crops earlier in the growing season—about six weeks after the initial cash crop is planted.

“The canopy from the cash crop, such as corn, slows the growth of the cover crop until the cash crop is harvested,” said Erica White, Ashland SWCD technician and Jerome Fork watershed coordinator. “Once that canopy opens up during harvest, the cover crop is already in the ground and established. Farmers don’t have to worry about their ground being bare and at risk for erosion, and they don’t have to worry about battling the weather to get back into their fields to plant their cover crop in the fall.”

Houin says the Ashland SWCD board views having the interseeder available for Ashland County farmers to rent as being similar to when soil and water districts across the country started purchasing no-till drills for farmers to try in the 1980s.

“This Partners in Watershed Management grant will allow producers the opportunity to try a new management technique for the cover crops —interseeding—without having to invest up-front in the equipment themselves,” Houin said. “That’s the role of SWCDs: to help put conservation tools into the hands of farmers to implement on-the-ground conservation practices.”

The interseeder will be ready to go for the 2021 season, and will be available for farmers in Ashland County and throughout the MWCD’s jurisdiction boundaries to rent at a discounted rate of $5/acre. Farmers outside of MWCD’s boundaries will also be able to rent the interseeder for $10/acre.

As Jerome Fork watershed coordinator, White’s role is to implement strategic conservation practices across Ashland County with a focus on five priority areas in the Jerome Fork watershed: cover crops, prevision conservation, manure management, watershed planning and stormwater management. The staff came across the idea of using an interseeder to encourage planting cover crops last year, but the district was unable to fund the purchase on their own.

“This is really a perfect opportunity for Ashland SWCD and MWCD to come together and implement meaningful conservation programs in Ashland County through the use of cover crops,” White said.

MWCD has been a long-time supporter of cover crops in Ashland County by providing cost-share in a cooperative agreement with the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Last year, they expanded their Ashland County program to include a soil health component, offering larger incentives to producers on the county's most vulnerable acres to encourage practices like early cover crop planting. The interseeder fits perfectly with those priorities.

“Farmers are faced with tighter and tighter weather windows to get their crops harvested and cover crops in the ground with our changing weather patterns,” Houin said. “More frequent, higher intensity rain events can lay waste to the best laid plans during harvest when it comes to getting a cover crop planted. We know farmers’ first priority is harvesting their cash crop, so we hope new strategies like interseeding can open up that seeding window and relieve the time crunch our farmers feel during harvest."

The MWCD grant program, Partners in Watershed Management (PWM), provides maintenance assessment funds to assist local organizations to implement water quality projects, flood reduction and mitigation programs, and watershed education efforts throughout the 18 counties within the MWCD. Since its inception in 2009 this program has provided over $9.5 million in grant funding for 135 projects.  More information can be found at www.MWCD.org