Lucas County farmers who missed out on the initial sign-up for Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio phosphorus reduction plan have another opportunity to enroll in the program.
Applications will be accepted now through January 15, 2022. The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), in partnership with the local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, will use the same practice standards and payment rates as what was announced and implemented during the initial 14-county project area in 2020-21.
These practices include, but are not limited to, overwintering cover crops, subsurface phosphorus placement, manure incorporation and drainage water management.
Individual practice incentive payments range from $8 to $60 depending on the practice, although in some cases multiple practices can be enrolled on the same acres in the same year.
Applicants will need to submit a completed voluntary nutrient management plan (VNMP) for crop years 2022 and 2023 to be accepted into the H2Ohio program.
The VNMP also will need to be approved by the SWCD board or director’s designee.
To sign up for H2Ohio or for more information, contact Matthew Browne with the Lucas SWCD at 419-893-1966 extension 3 or mbrowne@co.lucas.oh.us. To learn more about H2Ohio, visit h2.ohio.gov.
