Northwest Ohio farmers enroll more than 1.8 Million acres of cropland
COLUMBUS__On March 28, Governor DeWine and the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) announced more than 1.8 million acres are now enrolled into H2Ohio, a comprehensive water quality plan designed to address complex issues affecting Lake Erie. The results of the most recent signup period show a 32 percent increase in enrolled acres when compared to previous sign ups.
ODA recently completed an open enrollment period for 14 counties in northwest Ohio within the Maumee River Watershed. Farmers in this area were eligible to re-enroll acres into Best Management Practices (BMPs) that were nearing the end of their original contract term, which began in 2020. Additionally, farmers could use this opportunity to enroll new acres. Of the total number of producers currently enrolled, 90 percent of producers who signed up originally decided to re-enroll. Approximately 25 percent of all producers in the new Maumee enrollment are new to H2Ohio.