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Demo farms to collect field data

The Blanchard River Demonstration Farm Network, a project to identify what conservation practices will help improve water quality in the Western Lake Erie Basin, is set to begin this spring.

Project manager Aaron Heilers tells Brownfield they’ll be looking at current as well as new conservation practices, collecting data from three sources.

“In-field, focusing on the agronomic practices, nutrient placement, soil health, edge-of-field, looking at drainage water management and those structures that capture tile water and surface runoff,” said Heilers. “And then in-stream looking at in-stream wetlands and two-stage ditches and how the combination of all those practices can positively influence water quality.”

Heilers says the demonstration farms are a good representation of agriculture in the Western Lake Erie Basin.

“We have two grain farms and right now we’re working with a swine farm and we might add a dairy operation as well,” Heilers said.

The Blanchard River Demonstration Farm Network is a partnership between the Ohio Farm Bureau and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. (NRCS).

Audio: Aaron Heilers, Project Manager, Blanchard River Demonstration Farm Network