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$30 million available to Ohio farmers in H2Ohio funding

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) Director Dorothy Pelanda recently announced that $30 million in H2Ohio funding will be available to Ohio farmers in more than a dozen counties starting Feb. 1, 2020. The funds are available as part of Governor DeWine’s H2Ohio plan to reduce agricultural phosphorus runoff and prevent algal blooms in Lake Erie.

“We’ve had a great deal of interest from farmers in the Maumee River Watershed who want to do their part to improve the health of Lake Erie,” Governor DeWine said. “H2Ohio will provide farm-by-farm support to help farmers minimize phosphorus runoff while increasing profit over the long-run.”

Interested farmers living in the following 14 northwest Ohio counties will be able to apply for funding at their local Soil and Water Conservation Districts: Allen, Auglaize, Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Lucas, Mercer, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, Williams and Wood.

The H2Ohio phosphorus reduction plan will focus first on reducing runoff into the Maumee River Watershed and Lake Erie but will eventually be offered to other parts of the state. The plan will fund investments in 10 scientifically proven interventions to reduce nutrient runoff from agriculture, which is the primary cause for algal blooms.

“Ohio farmers want to be part of the solution to water quality concerns in our state,” ODA Director Pelanda said. “The Ohio Department of Agriculture is excited to work with our partners to help farmers implement these best practices which is a critical first step toward achieving better water quality through H2Ohio.”

The Ohio Department of Agriculture, in partnership with local Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative, will host informational meetings in February to outline the application process, explain the H2Ohio certification process, and answer questions. Farmers living in any of the 14 qualifying counties are welcome to attend.

H2Ohio information session dates, times and locations.

H2Ohio is a partnership between the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Lake Erie Commission, and a broad coalition of agriculture, education, research, conservation and environmental partners.