Ohio Farmer

Adjust seeding rates to reduce to the risk of planting failure.

October 21, 2021

1 Min Read
cover crops growing between stubble
NOV. 1: The deadline to plant cover crops enrolled in the H2Ohio program has been extended to Nov. 1. mvburling/Getty Images

Ohio growers enrolled in the 2021 H2Ohio program now have until Nov. 1 to plant overwintering cover crops, including those following small grains, and manure incorporation.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture extended the deadline because of the late harvest and adverse weather conditions.

H2Ohio was launched in November 2019 as a long-term, data-driven water quality plan to reduce harmful algal blooms, improve wastewater infrastructure and address lead contamination in Ohio.

ODA recommends adjusting seeding rates to reduce to the risk of planting failure. According to the Natural Resource Conservation Service Appendix A, seeding rates should be increased by 20%.

For manure incorporation, all H2Ohio practices must be met. Also, requirements established in the nutrient management standard NRCS 590 must be followed. Producers are required to reduce application rates of manure to reflect soil moisture conditions, per NRCS 590. Manure application on wet soils increases the potential for runoff.

In the first year of the H2Ohio Program, 1,800 farmers enrolled more than 1 million acres of cropland in the targeted 14 counties: Williams, Fulton, Lucas, Defiance, Henry, Wood, Paulding, Putnam, Hancock, Van Wert, Allen, Hardin, Mercer, and Auglaize.

With the recent expansion, all 24 counties in the western Lake Erie Basin are now included in the H2Ohio Program.

The initiative is a collaboration involving ODA, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Lake Erie Commission, and other environmental, agricultural and educational partners. It is the first comprehensive state program that addresses all aspects of water quality.

Source: ODA, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.

 

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