U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced four Michigan and Ohio grant recipients will receive $3,712,124 to engage farmers and provide nutrient management technical assistance in the Western Lake Erie Basin. Nutrient runoff from agricultural land is the leading cause of harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie.
"Keeping fertilizer on the fields is a win for farmers and a win for water quality," said EPA Region 5 Administrator and Great Lakes National Program Manager Anne Vogel. "This funding helps farmers apply nutrients more efficiently, safeguarding the long-term health and sustainability of Lake Erie."
The selected organizations include:
- Ohio Department of Agriculture has been selected for a $1 million grant to employ four conservation agronomist positions within Ohio’s Maumee River watershed. Each position will be paired with a private sector agricultural retailer to help integrate conservation services into their business model. The agronomists will provide technical assistance on 300,000 acres of cropland in the watershed as part of the state’s H2Ohio program with the goal of reducing an estimated 10,000 pounds of total phosphorous entering the waterway.
- The Nature Conservancy has been selected for a $783,616 grant to utilize a farmer-led network of conservation advocates to directly engage 200 other farmers in peer-to-peer learning opportunities across Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. TNC will deliver technical training to 60 conservation professionals and will partner with The Ohio State University to create new training and engagement materials.
Source : epa.gov