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 Originally made available in 2019, Governor Mike DeWine created H2Ohio as a statewide water quality initiative designed to address the various complex issues negatively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

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.

​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

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.
​
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.

Pet Waste Management
 
Does your pet poop? Of course he does! Do you always pick it up? We hope you do! This month, we talk about how pet waste negatively impacts the quality of our public health/local waters and what you can do to help.
 
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, pet waste is a leading source of nutrient and bacteria pollution in urban streams and waterways. Scruffy might be cute and cuddly but his poop spreads zoonotic diseases (transmissible to humans) with ingredients like E. Coli, Giardia, Salmonella, Roundworms, Tapeworms, and more. When it rains, pet waste contaminates storm water which eventually makes its way to your local creek or lake. Considering that more than half of Ohio’s residents get their drinking water from surface water sources, it’s important to keep our water as clean as possible. Have you ever noticed your neighborhood pond or retention basin filled with algae? Decomposing pet waste also pollutes water with excess nutrients, causing algae to bloom out of control and harm other aquatic life.
 
Some communities in Warren County have pet waste management ordinances. For example, the City of Lebanon considers a violation of §505.08 Removal of Dog Excrement (Ord. 6569) a minor misdemeanor and can fine up to $150.
 
Can pet waste be used as fertilizer?
 
Dog poo in its raw form is NOT a fertilizer. Due to a high-protein diet, dog poop is acidic and will kill your lawn and plants. However, a 2005 study by the USDA and Fairbanks Soil & Water Conservation District found that dog waste from healthy individuals is a safe mulch or soil additive for landscaping (NOT for human consumption) when composted properly. The process involves mixing waste with carbon-rich materials, paying attention to air flow and moisture, and maintaining a temperature of at least 145°F for several days. Please note- “Cats may carry parasites that are harmful to human fetuses. We do not recommend adding cat waste or cat litter to your compost.”
 
Pro-Tips

• Repurpose plastic shopping bags or newspaper sleeves for poo bags.
• Hire a pet waste pick up service.
• Install an in-ground pet waste digester.
• For HOAs and residential communities:
  • Install and maintain pet waste station(s).
  • Utilize a DNA-testing waste management program.

Thanks for being a responsible pet owner!

Did you know that you can thank a pollinator for 1 in 3 bites of food! Pollinators help our food supply to be plentiful and enable us to grow fruits and vegetables! Warren County SWCD believes it is important to help our pollinators!

Here are some tips from USDA that will help keep our pollinators plentiful!

• Provide Habitat - Pollinator habitat can beautify your space, increase native biodiversity, increase pollination services and biological control of “pest” insects, and provide community engagement and learning opportunities. Often for smaller scale gardens in urban areas, plugs or transplanted plants from pots are preferred over pure live wildflower seeds.
• Plant Native Plants. Native plants are considered the best choice because of their abundance of nectar and pollen in addition to being low maintenance, generally pest free, drought tolerant, and ability to control erosion. They are good sources of food and shelter for wildlife, and naturally beautiful.
• Plant a continuous food supply. Make sure you have at least 3 different species throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons to provide adequate food when pollinators emerge from and prepare for winter hibernation. Plant in groupings (clumps) of each plant species for a greater impact.
• Include a diversity of plants. Different flower sizes, shapes and colors, as well as varying plant heights and growth habits, support a greater number and diversity of pollinators. Include a combination of native plant species, heirloom plants and herbs in your pollinator garden. Common herbs such as rosemary, oregano, basil, marjoram, and borage are excellent pollinator plants. Allow unharvested fruits and vegetables to bolt (go to flower) for added pollinator and beneficial insect food.
• Limit or eliminate use of pesticides. A healthy garden with the appropriate plant species and an abundance of pollinators will support natural beneficial insects—reducing the need for pest control.
• Install bat boxes. Bats are also pollinators that need our help. Leave snags for habitat or install a bat box.
• Spread Awareness. Educate others about the importance of pollinators and share how you planted for bees, butterflies, birds and other animals at home.

What can you do to learn more? Come join Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District for a Pollinator Hotel Workshop on May 28, 2024! Registration and details will be forthcoming, please watch the newsletter for more information.  

Additional Resources:
USDA - The Importance of Pollinators - https://www.usda.gov/peoples-garden/pollinators
Pollinator Partnership - https://www.pollinator.org/pollinators
Xerces Society - https://xerces.org/
OSU Bee Lab - https://u.osu.edu/beelab/
Pollinator Pathway - https://www.pollinator-pathway.org/
​
For more information regarding pollinators, Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District programs and/or technical assistance on water or soil questions, visit http://warrenswcd.com or call, 513-695-1337.