WARREN CO SWCD

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10/22/2024

Watershed – H2Ohio

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This past spring, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) released the H2Ohio program to counties outside of the Maumee Watershed and Western Lake Erie Basin. Originally made available in 2019, Governor Mike DeWine created H2Ohio as a statewide water quality initiative designed to address the various complex issues negatively impacting Ohio’s waterways. The H2Ohio program is designed to reduce nutrient runoff by ultimately incentivizing producers to implement best management practices on the land.

By providing financial incentives, H2Ohio allows eligible producers to enroll their acreage into a Voluntary Nutrient Management Plan (VNMP) and earn a $10/acre incentive for the development of their VNMP in 2024. Being that this is a two-year program, in 2025 and 2026, producers can earn incentives of $10/acre or $15/acre for implementing the VNMP on their land.
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In Warren County, we were initially given an acreage cap of 5,000 acres to be enrolled in H2Ohio. With a large amount of interest from producers in the county, we exceeded that initial cap. Due to the large interest in H2Ohio, ODA allowed for an expansion which increased our total allowed acres. In all, Warren County SWCD helped sign up 14,647.7 acres to 16 different producers. Currently, Warren SWCD has been working alongside agricultural retailers such as Sunrise and Nutrien, as well as private retailers, to assist in the creation of the Voluntary Nutrient Management Plans. Voluntary Nutrient Management Finalized plans are due in December and we look forward to assisting Warren County producers in implementing H2Ohio on their land in 2025 and 2026.
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For 2025 and beyond, we hope for additional opportunities within H2Ohio that will be available to current and future producers of the program.  If you missed the sign-up period for H2Ohio, please contact our office to discuss eligibility for future H2Ohio opportunities and to get on our wait list.
 
Emilie Fisher
District Technician
Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District
(513) 695-2556
[email protected]

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10/7/2024

DOn't rake! Leave the leaves to do what they do best

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The most wonderful season has finally returned- Fall! Which means our leaves are starting to do just that!  Instead of  bagging your leaves and tossing them in the trash, simply leave them!

"Leaving the leaves and other plant debris doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your yard to the wilderness. The leaves don’t need to be left exactly where they fall. You can rake them into garden beds, around tree bases, or into other designated areas. Too many leaves can kill grass, but in soil they can suppress weeds, retain moisture, and boost nutrition." Xerces Society

Avoid shredding leaves with a mower. Raking or blowing (electric) are alternatives that will keep leaves whole for the best cover and protect the insects and eggs already living there.
If you decide you need to mow and mulch the leaves to clean up the debris in spring, make sure you wait until late in the season so as not to destroy all the life you’ve worked to protect. 
Then when you do, you will see the benefits of leaf mulch, like:

  • Fertilize your lawn.
  • Improve soil quality.
  • Suppress weeds.
  • Prevent topsoil erosion.
  • Provide habitat and food to micro-organisms, pollinators, and other small critters.
 
Let’s say you’ve mulched as many leaves as you could into the lawn, but you still have more… now what? Use your leaves (shredded or whole) as an ingredient in your compost pile! Composting is a simple way to recycle household/kitchen/yard waste into a nutrient-rich and biologically stable soil amendment. The four main ingredients to a compost pile are: carbon-rich materials (i.e. your leaves), nitrogen-rich materials (like grass clippings, coffee grounds, tea bags, and fruit/veg scraps), water, and air. The goal is to maintain a 30:1 ratio of Carbon and Nitrogen. In other words, you’ll need a lot of leaves to mix in with your household scraps.
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​Fall is a great time with great weather to be had, and we like to spend our precious time enjoying it. So when your yard is full of leaves and you think of reaching for the rake, leave it be! 

Additional Resources
 
USDA- Leave the Leaves
PennState Extension- Composting Leaves Guide

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    Warren County SWCD Staff Blog

    A blog to keep you informed on all the latest news at Warren County SWCD and in the conservation world.

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  • Home
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Board Supervisors
    • Staff
    • NRCS
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Volunteer Opportunities
  • Upcoming Programs/Events
    • Ag Tour
    • Future Conservationist Day Camp
    • Introduction to Kayaking
    • Lebanon Oktoberfest
    • Stream Clean Ups
    • Stream Encounters
    • Summer Contests
    • Urban Chat Series
    • Warren Water Striders
    • Women for the Land
    • Partner Events
  • Services
    • EQUIPMENT RENTAL
    • For Residents >
      • Drainage, Erosion & Pond Assistance
      • Soil Testing
      • Water Testing
      • Stormwater Basin Inspections
      • Maps & Historic Aerial Images
      • Backyard Conservation >
        • Ohio Native Plants
        • Pollinator Pathways
        • Rain Gardens
        • Rain Barrels
        • Composting
    • For Agriculture Producers >
      • Nutrient Management
      • Land Preservation
      • Cover Crops
      • Cover Crop Incentive Program
      • GIS/Mapping
      • Caesar Creek Collaborative >
        • Meet the Collaborative
        • Our Work
    • 2024 H2Ohio Program
    • For Businesses >
      • Stormwater Basin Inspections
    • For Municipalities >
      • Illicit Discharge Detection Program
      • Operation Rain Garden Grants
  • PERMITS
    • Earth Disturbing in Warren County >
      • Earth Disturbing Permit Application
    • Floodplain Management >
      • Floodplain Determination Request Form
      • Flood Applications, Forms & Documents
  • Education
    • Programs >
      • Classroom Programs
      • Youth Programs
      • Community Outreach
    • Virtual Classroom
    • Urban Conservation Learning Lab
    • Dagmar the Dragonfly
    • Turtle Education Ambassador
    • Program Loan Portal
    • Scholarship Opportunities
    • HS Envirothon
    • Educator Workshops
  • Blogs
    • Conservation Connection
    • Development Digest
    • Education Connection