Nutrient Management Plans are Foundation of H2Ohio Expansion: Ashland SWCD offers hands-on work session

It’s common knowledge: you can’t manage what you don’t measure. That’s why the Ohio Department of Agriculture has made the development of nutrient management plans the foundation of their statewide expansion in 2024.

Nutrient management plans are designed to help farmers measure the nutrients available in their fields through soil tests, then plan their nutrient needs for the next two years based on their planned crop rotation and management. The plans encourage farmers to make the most of their nutrient applications without sacrificing crop yields and productivity.

By objectively measuring the nutrients already available in their soils and calculating the nutrient needs their crops will have for the next two years, farmers can identify their nutrient needs according to the Tri-State Fertilizer guidelines. That’s good news for farmers, because it maximizes the return on investment for their fertilizer applications, and it’s good news for the rest of the state because it minimizes the risk of nutrient loss and runoff from farm fields.

To help farmers develop those plans, Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is hosting a Conservation Chat on August 1 to provide hands-on instruction and assistance to help farmers input the data they need to bring those plans to life. The Know Your Nutrient Plan Conservation Chat will take place in the SWCD office at 110 Cottage Street at 5 p.m. The event is free, but RSVPs are required to make sure plenty of Ohio Fire pizza is on-hand for participants.

The event is open both to farmers who are enrolled in the state’s H2Ohio expansion as well as those who are just interested in learning more about the program. Producers will bring their soil test results and planned crop rotations to the work session along with laptops or iPads if they have them. The SWCD will also have computers and iPads available for the session.

“We are really excited to be able to bring this H2Ohio expansion that focuses on nutrient management to our Ashland County farmers,” said Jane Houin, Ashland SWCD director. “The original expansion plan limited Ashland County farmers to around 10,000 acres available to enroll across the county, but the resounding response and interest from our farmers demonstrated a lot of interest and demand for this kind of programming in our area and within a few weeks, those acreage limitations were removed and we more than doubled our original enrollment maximum.”

The H2Ohio nutrient management program provides farmers with $10/acre in cost share dollars to develop nutrient management plans for the 2025 and 2026 crop years. Once those plans are developed, it is participating producers will be able to enroll those same acres in H2Ohio to implement those plans in 2025 and 2026.

“This program really focuses on bringing an emphasis on 4R nutrient management practices to our area,” Houin said. “The western basin of the Lake Erie watershed has focused on the 4Rs for a long time to combat the algal blooms of Lake Erie, focusing on applying the Right Rate of nutrients at the Right Time in the Right Place from the Right Source. Now these nutrient management plans will bring that focus to our watersheds as well.”

Houin said the program was an easy yes for many Ashland County farmers, who view the program as an opportunity to demonstrate that they are already doing a good job being good stewards of our local soil and water resources. Others are looking at the program as an opportunity for an objective, outside calculation of what their nutrient needs are and how that can impact their bottom line.

The program utilizes the MyFarms platform to manage on-farm data, so Houin said like any new program, it can be helpful to see a program in action first-hand and have in-person support available.

Ashland SWCD Water Quality Specialist Cora Crilow, Conservation Specialist Katie Eikleberry and Watershed Assistant Joe Christner will all be on-hand with Houin to help walk producers through the development of their nutrient management plan and reporting requirements.

Nikki Hawk from the Ohio Agricultural Conservation Initiative will also talk with producers about OACI’s role in the H2Ohio programming and how to certify their enrolled fields.

Registration for the conservation chat is free, and Ohio Fire pizza and pop will be provided, but RSVPs are required to make sure everyone has plenty of pizza to fill their stomachs while the staff and speakers are filling their brains with information.

To RSVP, call Crilow at 419-281-7645 or email h2ohio@ashlandcounty.org