By: Mark Sulc, OSU Extension Forage Specialist
The Ohio Department of Agriculture recently announced a new conservation program entitled the “Ohio Working Lands Buffer Program” to establish year-round vegetative cover on eligible cropland in the Western Lake Erie Basin Watershed. 
This is a great opportunity to improve soils and conserve nutrients on the land while having two ways to gain income: first from the value of the forage produced and secondly from annual payments through the program.
Land owners in the Western Lake Erie Basin Watershed can receive annual payments for maintaining and harvesting hay an
d forage on land that acts as a buffer on cropland to provide another line of defense to filter surface water. Only cropland acres where sediment and nutrients have the potential to be transported from the field and enter environmentally sensitive areas are eligible for the program.
To apply for this program, contact your local soil and water conservation district office.
For details of this and other Western Lake Erie Basin Phosphorus Reduction Programs see the following: