Ohio’s water quality has been one of the top news stories of 2019. That’s why Ashland Soil and Water District is working to equip farmers with the technology and tools they need to reduce nutrient runoff in turn improving water quality.
Ashland SWCD is partnering with Ohio State University to provide Ashland County farmers free access to On-Field Ohio!, a modeling tool that measures the risk of phosphorus runoff and erosion in individual fields.
Read MoreRecent extreme weather events have created difficulties for many Ohio farmers. Many fields were left unplanted, and many of the fields that were planted suffered drown outs, yield losses and delayed harvests as farmers waited for crops to reach maturity. That is why Ashland, Holmes, Richland and Wayne Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Farm Bureaus are working together to help farmers create a plan for these extreme weather events.
Extreme Farming: Farm Planning for Extreme Weather will be held at The Ohio Theatre in Loudonville on December 16 at 5:30 p.m.
Read MoreLang Creek is the most degraded and most at-risk of the waters in Ashland County’s Jerome Fork watershed. That’s why Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District has targeted the watershed for the development of a nine-element watershed plan – but they need community input to do so.
Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District and Ashland Chamber of Commerce are inviting constituents to provide input on the local water quality needs beginning with the Lang Creek watershed at the Ag Community Breakfast. The breakfast will be November 26 at 7:30 a.m. in the Brethren Care Village Community Wellness Center. The meeting is a free event open to all and…
Read MoreAshland Soil and Water Conservation District is recruiting citizens of Ashland County as volunteers.
Ashland SWCD owns Hazel Willis Woods, a 40 acre woodlot, in Mifflin Township. The woods was given to the District by Walter Willis in memory of his wife, Hazel. We need volunteers to help maintain the trails, loop road, spring, water bars and main driveway.
Read MoreYou don’t have to look far to find water quality in the headlines. From news stories on Lake Erie’s infamous algal blooms to the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, water quality impacts everyone.
Here in Ashland County, we play a vital - if often ignored role - in both of these headline stories. Ashland County is uniquely situated at the headwaters, or the start, of both the Lake Erie and Mississippi watersheds. That means what we do here has big implications downstream.
Read MoreIt’s hard to believe that the end of summer is right around the corner. Ashland SWCD has been busy wrapping up projects of Summer 2019. Including our MWCD cover crop cost share applications which totaled near 4,800 acres within the county with approximately 4,000 approved acres to receive cost share. Monday the 9th of this month we completed our first county wide aerial cover crop seeding, we were able to cover approximately 550 acres of farm fields. We anticipate these programs coming back for 2020, if you are interested, we encourage you to contact our office and get on the list for a reminder call when sign up starts next year.
Read MoreAs I sat down for what seemed like forever trying to think of a topic for this article, of course, all the "Conservation Commandments" came to mind: cover crops, no-till, soil health. Then, I wondered to myself: "What about precision agriculture practices?"
Read MoreIt’s that time again!
The Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative is calling on Ohioans for a third year of Milkweed pod collections! This project started in 2015 as a 7 county pilot and last year hundreds of Ohioans worked together. Since then the volunteers have collected approximately 5000 gallons of common milkweed seed pods, totaling over 22 million seeds! Milkweed is the only host plant for the Monarch butterfly for egg laying and caterpillar rearing
It’s no secret that 2019 has been a challenging weather season for Ashland County farmers. It seems the faucet turned on early last fall and the rains haven’t let up since. I heard this past week that the month of May had seven days suitable for field work – just seven our of 31 days.
Read MoreFor three-quarters of a century, Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District has worked hand-in-hand with Ashland County farmers and landowners to implement conservation practices designed to protect and preserve Ashland County’s natural resources. They will be celebrating that milestone August 13 at Honey Haven Farm in Ashland.
Read MoreUnusually wet weather patterns in 2019 have left many Ashland County farmers with bare fields. And those farmers with crops in the ground may already be thinking about how they can prevent runoff and improve soil health next year if a similar weather pattern emerges. For both sets of farmers, cover crops may be part of the solution.
Read MoreSignup is once again underway for Ashland SWC’s cover crop cost share. Check out the latest changes to the program including:
$12/A cost-share for approved acres
$15/A cost-share for first-time participants
$15/A cost share for top ranking 650 acres with addition $5/A for cover crops planted by the end of September
County-wide aerial seeding coordination
Save money and soil with Ashland SWCD’s no-till drill rental program!
Ashland SWCD offeres both 10 ad 15-ft no-till John Deere drill rental for just $12/A. Contact Drill Sgt Maxine Swaisgood to schedule your rental today!
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