A federal and state program will pay farmers to help improve water quality in Southwest Ohio.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program is expanding in the Great and Little Miami watersheds. Farmers can opt to replant some of their land with native vegetation or cover crops, instead of products like corn or soybeans.
Sarah Hippensteel Hall is the manager of communications, stewardship and outreach for the Miami Conservancy District.
“That corridor of vegetation then can provide filtration for the runoff that's coming off of farm fields before it gets into those rivers and streams, and that's how it can improve water quality,” Hippensteel Hall said.
More than a million people rely on the Great Miami for drinking water. However, a majority of land in the watershed is used for agriculture, according to the Miami Conservancy District. That means when it rains, pesticides, manure and sediment from farms flow into nearby rivers.
“We need our water to be plentiful, we need it to be clean for us to have a good quality of life,” Hippensteel Hall said. “This shows that farmers really want to make that happen as well.”
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Farmers who chose to participate in the program will establish conservation practices over a 15-year period. They will receive incentive payments and cost-share assistance to help with re-establishing land cover.
The program is expected to roll out next year.
The Miami Conservancy District is hosting information sessions in the coming weeks. Hippensteel Hall says the open houses will have representatives from the USDA and Ohio Department of Natural Resources to answer questions.
How to attend
Urbana, Ohio:
Where: Champaign County USDA Service Center, Suite e-1001, 512 U.S. Highway 6
When: Aug. 20, 2-4 p.m.
Sidney, Ohio:
Where: Shelby County USDA Service Center, 820 Fair Rd.
When: Aug. 21, 9 -11 a.m.
Hamilton, Ohio:
Where: The Butler/Hamilton USDA Service Center, 1802 Princeton Rd.
When: Aug. 28, 1-3 p.m.
Xenia, Ohio:
Where: Green County OSU Extension Service Building, 100 Fairgrounds Rd.
When: Aug. 29, 1-3 p.m.
Greenville, Ohio:
Where: The Board of Developmental Disabilities, 5844 Jaysville-St. Johns Rd.
When: Sept. 11, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Batavia, Ohio:
Where: Clingman Park, Administrative Conference Room, 2156 U.S. Highway 50
When: Sept. 12, 1-3 p.m.