Ashland SWCD helps farmers tap into conservation dollars

If you’re a farmer, this time of year seems to revolve around inputs on your farm: feed, seed, fertilizer, fuel—the list seems endless. But as more and more policy leaders realize the importance of partnering with farmers to help solve our water quality and soil health issues, more money than perhaps ever before is available to help farmers cover those costs.

That’s why Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is hosting a Conservation Chat: Growing Money on June 6 at Twin Oaks Farm near Perrysville. The event is designed to give producers an overview of the growing cost share opportunities available through both the SWCD and through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“This is an exciting time for farmers to take advantage of all of the different funding and cost share opportunities available right now and implement practices and programs that will make an impact for years to come,” said Jane Houin, Ashland SWCD director. “New dollars for new programs are available right now, from increased NRCS funding coming out of the Inflation Reduction Act to new programs made available through the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD). Our goal is to help farmers navigate those programs and select the programs that are right for them and their operations.”

The event will be held at Twin Oaks Farm on State Route 95 near Perrysville. Participants will be able to see how the Workman family has leveraged NRCS funding and programs to make strategic investments on their farm. And if the weather and planting season cooperate, the Workmans will also offer a demonstration of the district’s cover crop interseeder that was purchased through an MWCD Partners in Watershed Management grant.

MWCD has been a long-time partner with Ashland SWCD and will be receiving the district’s prestigious Horizon Award at the district’s annual meeting this summer for their long-time commitment to investing in conservation is Ashland County, The conservancy district’s hallmark conservation program is cover crop cost share.

“I love driving across Ashland County this time of year and seeing the bright green fields that have been made possible through our cover crop program partnership with MWCD,” Houin said. “Those fields are a colorful reminder of the impact partnerships like those between MWCD and local soil and water districts can make, from reducing erosion to improving soil health to protecting water quality and preventing runoff. Those fields may not seem like much to the average driver as they travel through the county, but they have a meaningful story to tell.”

This year, in addition to their cover crop program, MWCD is offering cost-share programs for producers to develop and implement voluntary nutrient management plans and grazing plans on their operations. They also provide cost share of up to $10,000 for livestock stream exclusion fencing and funding for log jam removal projects. Producers can even bring their field reporting maps to the chat and complete their cost share applications on-site for cover crop, VNMP, and grazing plan cost-share opportunities being offered through the partnership between MWCD and Ashland SWCD.

But in addition to their traditional cost-share programs, MWCD has funded three different Partners in Watershed Management grant requests for equipment investments from Ashland SWCD: a cover crop interseeder, a cover crop crimper/roller, and a small, ground driven manure spreader for small and hobby farmers. All of those will be available for producers to get an up-close-and-personal look at and complete rental agreements at the Conservation Chat.

The chat will begin at 5 p.m. In addition to learning about SWCD, MWCD, and USDA programs, producers will also participate in a short question and answer session with Clark Hutson, the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s H2Ohio coordinator. Hutson will share what the H2Ohio program looks like in the Western Lake Erie Basin and what it will look like when the program expands statewide and into Ashland County.

Registration for the chat is free and includes dinner but pre-registration is requested. The Growing Money Conservation Chat will take place at 5 p.m. at Twin Oaks Farm on June 6. Registration can be made online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conservation-chat-growing-money-tickets-601461185597 or at the Ashland SWCD office by calling 419-281-7645.