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Demonstration farms help promote water quality

Three farms in northwest Ohio will showcase conservation practices that are helping reduce and prevent nutrient runoff.  Ohio state conservationist Terry Cosby says the demonstration farms provide tangible learning tools for farmers.  “And have about anything that we recommend on these three farms,” he says.  “Landowners will be able to go out and take a look at the practices and see how effective they are and if they will fit on their property.  And learn more about how these practices work.”

He tells Brownfield the three farms reflect the agricultural makeup in the area and gives farmers a better idea to establish their own conservation plan.  “We need to go out and look at each one of these farms and walk them and look at them and then make recommendations on ways to improve them,” he says.  “Then the landowners can decide if these are practices they can do on their own.”

Cosby says the demonstration farms are a key component of Ohio Farm Bureau’s Water Quality Action Plan, a comprehensive initiative to help farmers proactively improve water quality.

The Kellogg Farm project covers 305 acres in a corn/soybean rotation. This site will focus heavily on subsurface nutrient placement and its effect on yields. It also will look at potential fertilizer savings using different methods, timing and placements of cover crops

On Kurt Farm, 168 acres of corn/soybean fields will be utilized. The project will monitor the effect on water quality of a two-stage ditch that was constructed previously with assistance from The Nature Conservancy.

The Stateler project includes 208 acres in a corn, soybean and wheat rotation plus a swine wean to finish operation. This site will focus on managing nutrients associated with modern animal agriculture.

AUDIO: Terry Cosby, Ohio state conservationist