REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — Keeping fertilizer out of waterways and on fields – that’s the goal of two new nutrient management tools announced by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA). Both will help farmers to maintain agricultural productivity while reducing nutrient runoff.

 

The Ohio Applicator Forecast is an online tool designed to help nutrient applicators identify times when the potential loss from fertilizer or manure application is low. The Ohio Agricultural Stewardship Verification Program is a pilot certification for farmers who protect farmland and natural resources by implementing best management practices on their farms.

The Forecast, created by the National Weather Service (NWS), takes into account observed and forecast rainfall current soil conditions and a variety of other factors, said Brian Astifan, PE, development and operations hydrologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NWS. Then it helps determine the risk of runoff from the land over the next 7-10 days.

“The intent is that we can help to categorize the risk of having runoff for nutrients that have just been applied running off, as opposed to soaking into the ground and staying there for the crops,” he said. “The hope is that by gauging when there is a high risk of runoff for the next few days, farmers can plan when and how they would apply more effectively to both reduce their losses and to protect the water quality in the streams.”

The modeling is done on a 4-kilometer grid which works out to be about 4,000 acres, Astifan said. Viewers can increase that resolution into the 1,000- to 2,000-acre range.

“When you’re looking at a plot it is not necessarily down to a specific field, but it is a fairly localized model and can give detailed information that captures sharp gradient patterns of rainfall and soil type and that type of things,” he explained.

“It’s something applicators can use and look in and see if the risk is low, medium or high,” said Brett Gates, ODA spokesperson. “You get right onto your farm, right on your garden; this is something for all Ohioans to use.”

The link to the Ohio Applicator Forecast can be found at http://agri.ohio.gov/divs/plant/OhioApplicatorForecast/oaf.aspx

The Ohio Agricultural Stewardship Verification Program is set up through the Division of Soil and Water Conservation, Gates said. It is a pilot project that will recognize farmers as responsible stewards of the land.

“This program verifies the social, environmental and economic benefits of farming with sustainable practices,” he explained.

“It is a pilot project in Henry and Wood counties. We hope to be able be able to expand it to more of the state in the future.”

Producers from those counties may go to one of the counties’ Soil and Water Conservation Districts and sign up by the June 15 deadline. Ten producers per watershed will be selected for the pilot program.

“It is a verification tool that shows that they are using best management practices, that they are doing what they can in terms of nutrient management,” Gates said. “It is a way to recognize them with a sign, or whatever – a way for them and us to verify that they are doing these practices for stewardship.”

Agricultural groups are praising these voluntary efforts. Said Rich Deaton, president of the Ohio Pork Council, “We applaud ODA for launching a voluntary tool and program which will recognize and certify Ohio pig farmers who are implementing best land management practices, and help them remain good stewards of the environment.”