Pike County Farmers Can Tap a $250,000 H2Ohio Grant for Cleaner Water

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WAVERLY – Pike County farmers will soon have $250,000 in state help available for fencing, watering systems, and other changes that keep nutrients from pasture and hay fields out of local waterways.

The Pike Soil and Water Conservation District announced the grant Tuesday. The money comes through H2Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine’s statewide water quality initiative, and the district will run the work under the name “Fence It. Pad It. Protect It. Pike SWCD’s Practical Solutions to Cleaner Water.”

The effort is a four-year grazing management program aimed at the runoff that comes off pasture and hayland. The district will offer technical help at every stage, from planning a grazing setup to putting the practices in the ground.

Cost share money will be available for fencing, including perimeter fences, interior fences for rotating livestock, and exclusion fences that keep animals out of streams and other sensitive areas. The program also covers watering facilities, pasture and hayland improvements, heavy use pads, and access roads.

Pike County was one of nine soil and water districts across Ohio picked for the H2Ohio SWCD Conservation Pilot Program, which targets pollution that washes off fields rather than coming from a pipe.

Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Brian Baldridge said the state is working with local districts to find the most effective ways to cut nutrient runoff on farms with different kinds of land, and he credited Ohio’s soil and water districts and farmers as partners willing to try new approaches to protect water quality.

H2Ohio launched in 2019 to address water problems across the state, from algal blooms to drinking water. Its farm program pays part of the cost when farmers adopt proven practices that keep nutrients on the field and out of the water.

Farmers who want to learn more or apply can stop by the district office at 11752 State Route 104 in Waverly, or call Agriculture Specialist Cris Sprague at (740) 941-6378.

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