The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) discussed open enrollment for the H2Ohio program in the original 14 county Maumee River Watershed at a press event today in Putnam County. Producers are now eligible to enroll or re-enroll acreage into proven, science-based, best management practices (BMPs) that contribute toward improving water quality in Lake Erie and other bodies of water.

H2Ohio farmer Jeff Duling hosted ODA officials, the Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative (OACI) and members of the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate for an update on the program. Attendees also viewed a drone demonstration by Midwest Air LLC, planting cover crops into standing corn. Overwintering cover crops are one of H2Ohio’s BMPs farmers are implementing to protect Ohio’s water quality.

Following Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio statewide expansion announcement this week, ODA’s H2Ohio experts also discussed the plan to enroll an additional 500,000 acres across the state.

H2Ohio is Governor DeWine’s initiative to ensure safe and clean water in Ohio. It is a comprehensive, data-driven approach to improving water quality over the long term. H2Ohio focuses on encouraging agricultural best management practices, restoring wetlands, and replacing home septic systems to reduce nutrients that contribute to harmful algal blooms. For more information on the H2Ohio initiative, please visit h2.ohio.gov.

Video and interviews from today’s event are available here.