Cover Crops Cover the Conservation Bases; learn more April 8

When it comes to farming, there’s no one a farmer trusts more than a fellow farmer—someone who knows what it’s like to spend hours in the tractor, to put in the daylight to dark hours and be at the mercy of the weather and the markets.

That’s why Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is featuring cover crop experiences straight from a fellow farmer’s mouth as part of their April 8 Conservation Chat: We’ve Got You Covered.

The event will kick off at 11 am at the Perrysville Community Center, where farmers will hear from Jeff Duling, a fellow farmer and president of the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. (OFSWCD) During will share his own cover crop journey experience as well as the cover crop success stories he’s seen when traveling around the state.

Carl Ayers of Ayers Farm, headquartered just outside of Perrysville, will also share his cover crop experience, which includes using his rye cover crop as ryelage for his family dairy operation.

“Cover crops in Ashland County have literally been taking root and growing across the county,” said Jane Houin, Ashland SWCD director. “The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) has really been key in that growth through their cover crop cost share program. When we first partnered with MWCD back in 2013, we had approximate 1,000 acres enrolled in the program. This year, over 4,500 acres were enrolled in their cover crop program, which pays big dividends when it comes to preventing erosion of our topsoil and protecting water quality, especially when it comes to some of our hillier fairground.”

In addition to providing a cover crop cost-share program, MWCD has also awarded Ashland SWCD two Partners in Watershed Management grants to help encourage cover crop adoption in the county. Those grants have allowed Ashland SWCD to add a cover crop crimper/roller for cover crop termination and a cover crop interseeder to their equipment rental line up.

Rome Marinelli from MWCD will also speak at the chat to provide an overview of their cost share program goals as well as an outlook for future programming opportunities.

“Cover crops are like a field of mini super heroes,” Houin said. “They can battle compaction by breaking through a plow pan, improve biodiversity and attract pollinators, and they can help counteract our changing weather patterns. They can increase soil’s organic matter to help hold and retain more water during intense rain events, and a mat of cover crops in the field can also help prevent the moisture that is in the soil from being lost to evaporation during drought events.”

Joe Christner, Ashland SWCD Mohican watershed assistant, and Brennan Hart, Ashland SWCD soil conservation specialist, talk about the district’s aerial cover crop seeding program as well as the tools available through the district’s equipment rental program to help farmers plant cover crops, including the crimper/roller, interseeder, and no-till drills for fall cover crop plantings.

From there, participants will load up into vans and head down the road to Ayers Farm to get an up close look at their cover crop program in action.

Registration is just $5/participant, and free for both parties when you RSVP with a friend. RSVPs are required, and lunch is provided. Farmers can RSVP at https://wevegotyoucovered.eventbrite.com or by calling the Ashland SWCD office at 419-281-7645.