LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — The Ohio State University is helping local farmers learn the best practices for their crops and the environment.
The Soil Health and Water Management Field Day has been held for about four years. Thanks to the regenerative farm next to the Lima campus, agricultural experts can test different methods in no-till and cover crops to determine which practices yield the best results.
The event focuses on finding solutions to help farmers manage soil and water more effectively, especially during drought conditions. Organizers are also working to improve water quality in the watershed by helping farmers keep water and nutrients in the ground instead of allowing them to run into streams that feed into Lake Erie.
The event focuses on finding solutions to help farmers manage soil and water more effectively, especially during drought conditions.
“With the initiatives we have here, we have practices we are demonstrating that would help improve water quality downstream. So, we are able to retain moisture or water in the field, and with that, we are able to retain a lot of the nitrogen and phosphorus that would have otherwise flown into the river systems downstream. So, that's another benefit we are hoping to showcase here as part of this field day,” said Dr. Vinayak Shedekar, OSU assistant professor of agriculture water management.
Attendees also heard from a panel of farmers who are currently using these practices.
