H2Ohio is water quality plan to reduce harmful algal blooms, improve wastewater infrastructure, and prevent lead contamination.

Update from HARDIN SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT:

As we wind down on the first round of H2Ohio, we have learned and grown a lot. We are beginning to prepare for round two of H2Ohio enrollment. Round two of enrollment will be open to all Hardin County producers.

Round two will come with a few modifications. The original H2Ohio practices will be tweaked just a little bit, we took feedback from producers and staff to try to make it a better program for all.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture staff are still in the process of getting the changes finalized. The next enrollment will be sometime during summer 2023. As in the last roll out, the main and first thing that must be completed to be in the program is the Voluntary Nutrient Management Plan.

If you are at all interested in signing up this summer go ahead and get the following information in order:
- Make sure your soil tests for fields you plan to enroll are less than 4 years old (2021 or newer).
- Have a rough plan of what you intend to plant for crop year 2024.
- Think about what practices will work with your operation.
- Start your manure plan. If your operation produces more than 350 tons or 100,000 gallons of manure annually, you will need a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) to participate in H2Ohio.

We can help you develop this plan, but please contact us as soon as possible to get the processes started.

If you have questions on how H2Ohio would work on your farm, contact Denna or Howard at 419-673-0456, Ext. 3.