Join Our Efforts >>

Clean water is our state’s most important natural resource and Ohio’s farmers care deeply about protecting it. Ohio Farm Bureau’s Water Quality Action Plan is a series of proactive steps to improve and protect water quality.  

Download our status report to see how we're working to protect Ohio water:

Ohio farmers are natural stewards of soil and water. We know we play a significant role in protecting Ohio’s water resources for Ohio’s families, schools, businesses and communities. Because we take this responsibility seriously, Ohio Farm Bureau’s Water Quality Action Plan helps farmers proactively step-up their historic efforts to improve and protect water quality for the good of all. 

Management  - Nutrient Application 
Farm Bureau and other partners are funding a project that is establishing a team of nutrient management experts that will help farmers in the WLEB development nutrient management plans.

Ohio’s farmers will continue their commitment to serve on the front lines of maintaining safe and healthy water for our state. The effort is ongoing. In fact, no other state in the nation is doing as much as Ohio is doing. Along with Farm Bureau, many other Ohio farm organizations, agribusiness professionals and others from the farm community are working to meet your expectations.

Protecting water, growing Ohio
The current challenges, such as algae blooms, will not be solved overnight. And we must avoid unintentionally harming our productive farmers while addressing water issues. But farmers are pledged to work with experts using advanced methods and technologies and tapping resources from local, state and national organizations to produce good and abundant food while maintaining safe water for all Ohioans.

Legislation - S.B. 1 and S.B. 150

Senate Bill 1 restricts the application of manure and fertilizer on frozen, snow covered or saturated ground in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB). 

Senate Bill 150 is first-of-its-kind-in-the nation legislation that creates a fertilizer applicator certification program.  Thousands of farmers in the WLEB are part of the 6,237 farmers statewide who have completed fertilizer applicator certification classes.

Join Our Efforts >>

Innovation - Demonstration Farms
Demonstration farms will display established conservation practices and innovative technologies that can achieve sustainable, environmentally responsible food production. 

Research - Edge-of-Field Testing
Research from OSU and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will measure phosphorus levels from WLEB farms that will help identify water quality and conservation practices.

Collaboration - Healthy Water Ohio
Through the input from hundreds of stakeholders across the state, Ohio Farm Bureau, conservation groups, business and industry, universities, water suppliers, agriculture and others are moving forward with this 20- to 30-year comprehensive sustainable water resources management plan.

Farmer Don Ralph (left) uses conservation practices on his farm to  protect his way of life on the land and on the water. Farmer Terry McClure (right) installed edge-of-field testing equipment on his farm to help researchers understand how to better limit runoff. 

Expertise - Assisting Farmers
Ohio Farm Bureau is investing member dollars into hiring additional staff, including water quality and research experts, to expand outreach.

"Ohio’s farmers are focused on two important goals - growing affordable food for everyone’s families and protecting the water of Ohio and Lake Erie."

- Adam Sharp, Ohio Farm Bureau Executive Vice President

Stewardship - Conservation Practices
Hundreds of thousands of acres across Ohio have been voluntarily enrolled in conservation programs. 

Outreach - Local Programs
Financial and technical support will enable county-level water quality programs.

Public Policy -  Support For Funding
Farm Bureau will work to ensure that state funding will continue to support water quality initiatives.   Farm Bureau supported a multi-state program to secure a Regional Conservation Partnership Program grant worth more than $12 million that will help farmers implement conservation practices. 

©2015 Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Inc. All rights Reserved.

Ohio Farm Bureau Federation is a member of American Farm Bureau Federation®, a national organization of farmers and ranchers including Farm Bureau® organizations in 49 other states and Puerto Rico, and is responsible for Farm Bureau membership and programs within the State of Ohio. Ohio Farm Bureau Federation programs and services are available only to Farm Bureau members within Ohio. The political views expressed in these pages represent Ohio Farm Bureau Federation's positions on various issues as they relate to Ohio. The positions of the national Farm Bureau organization collectively are expressed through American Farm Bureau Federation. Any opinions, statements or views expressed through comments or by outside contributors are the express views of those individuals and do not necessarily represent the views of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.