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 Originally made available in 2019, Governor Mike DeWine created H2Ohio as a statewide water quality initiative designed to address the various complex issues negatively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]

A horse, on average, can weigh nearly 1,000 pounds and can defecate roughly 13 times a day. This roughly equates to about 50 pounds of wet manure a day – including urine. The bedding that is gathered in the animal waste, also contributes to the weight. The bedding can increase the total volume to 2-3 feet of waste per day.

Per one ton of manure, the nutrients that can be found include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium – with bedding having the potential to also affect the nutrient reading. If not managed properly, manure runoff can cause pollution with the potential to negatively impact local waterbody sources.

​Manure Storage
Keeping animal waste as dry as possible results in less waste that must be transported elsewhere. Consider a NRCS Conservation Practice for a waste storage facility which will help prevent runoff and is also helpful for winter storage, since Ohio does not allow manure spreading on frozen or snow-covered ground. For large facilities, cost-share options may be available.
Manure Composting:
Composting utilizes an accelerated decomposition process that uses the organisms and bacteria found growing in the soil that helps break down manure. The process requires proper oxygen and moisture levels, as well as proper feedstock mixture, to ensure proper microbial activity. The composting piles must be turned to ensure proper aeration and the final product of composting is a crumbly and has a low odor and resembles topsoil.
Also, consider the Ohio Livestock Manure Management Guide written by OSU Extension: https://agcrops.osu.edu/sites/agcrops/files/imce/fertility/bulletin_604.pdf.

ODA & Agricultural Pollution Abatement
The Ohio Department of Agriculture administers a set of laws and rules that outline how manure storage and application should be properly handled arounder waters of the state. If you or you operation handle manure and are not sure you if you comply, these rules and regulations can be found in Section 901:13-1 of the Ohio Administrative Code.
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Contact a technician at Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District at (513) 695-1337 or Warren County Extension at (513) 695-1311 if you have questions.

As the technology for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) becomes increasingly more powerful and affordable, it is beginning to have an increased role in the agriculture world.  UAVs, or more commonly drones, can be used for a variety of purposes, from monitoring crops, herds, and infrastructure to applying resources where they are most needed, and they will only continue to be more useful and important in the years to come.  Here are a look at a few ways that agricultural producers are beginning to utilize drones in their businesses.

Monitoring
Many drones with optical sensors can be very useful in remote monitoring of fields or rangeland.  Having an aerial view of a field can give a producer the chance to see patterns that are not readily available from the ground, such as damage to crops from a storm or where plants are not growing as healthily.  Additional optical sensors such as near infrared can be used to create normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)  imagery of crops, giving a detailed and precise measurement of crop health and showing where water or nutrients can be best applied.  Drones can also be used to monitor and track herds or check for damage to fence rows or other infrastructure much more quickly than it would take to drive or walk a route, saving time and resources for routine tasks.

Application
Some drones are equipped to carry payloads and can be used in the precise application of resources.  If a part of a field is not receiving enough water or needs to receive more fertilizer, then a drone can be used to deliver the precise amount of nutrients exactly where it is most needed to save on cost for the producer.  Conversely, drones can also be used to deliver payloads of pesticide or herbicide where there is active damage to crops.

Repeatability and Autonomy
Many drones today come with software that allows the pilot to preplan flight missions and save them for future use.  This means that the drone can be flown on the exact same path and perform the exact same actions whenever needed.  This frees up the pilot from having to manually control the drone each flight and allows for high accuracy in repeating tasks.  This also allows for repeated missions to collect the same data over multiple flights, an invaluable resource when comparing such things as the stages of construction of a conservation practice or routinely monitoring field health during the growing season.
 
References
https://nebraskacorn.gov/cornstalk/sustainability/four-ways-drones-are-used-in-agriculture/
https://www.tntech.edu/news/releases/22-23/class-demonstrates-variety-of-uses-for-drones-in-agriculture.php