The Ohio AgriBusiness Association (OABA) celebrated Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s announcement that The Ohio State University (OSU) has been awarded a $999,987 Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG). The grant will help OSU evaluate and refine the Ohio Phosphorus Risk Index using field-scale monitoring.
“The Ohio AgriBusiness Association has made water quality a top priority, and we’re committed to partnering with our research partners at OSU,” said OABA President and CEO Chris Henney. “Ohio’s water quality issues are complex, and through research, we’re hoping to find tangible solutions. Ohio’s agribusinesses and farmers are eager to be part of a solution, but we just need to figure out what that solution is.”
OABA has been partnering with OSU on water quality issues, and OABA member companies have contributed more than $200,000 to help fund research. OABA members who have already contributed to the OSU research project include Deerfield Farms Service, Inc.; Luckey Farmers, Inc.; NACHURS ALPINE SOLUTIONS; Schlessman Seed Co.; The Andersons Inc. Charitable Foundation and Trupointe Cooperative, Inc. Click here to read more about how OABA and its members have been involved in this project.
Other funding partners among the industry include Ohio Soybean Council, Ohio Corn Marketing Program, Ohio Small Grains Marketing Program, United Soybean Board, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and Paulding County Farm Bureau. To date, all funding partners have committed more than $950,000 to support the project.
The three-year, OSU-led research project includes installation of instrumentation on selected farms across the state to monitor runoff and tile drainage water. After validation or revision of the current Phosphorus Risk Index, researchers will create and promote a tool for farmers to use when incorporating the practices on their individual farms. Other research partners include OSU Extension and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.