H2Ohio Funding Maintained

As a member of the Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative (OACI), ODPA is pleased to share the following letter from ODA Director Pelanda. ODPA will continue to provide updates to our members as more details become available.

Dear OACI Members,

Governor DeWine’s commitment to clean water in Ohio through his H2Ohio Initiative has remained a priority. Although the economic impact of COVID-19 was unforeseen and required a reevaluation of Ohio Department of Agriculture’s budget, ODA is pleased to be able to move forward with $50 million in funds that will be available to farmers currently enrolled in H2Ohio programs. 

This exceeds ODA’s expectations and positions the department to continue building valuable, conservation-based relationships with producers. Although details are yet to be worked out, we plan to move forward quickly to meet with the 2,000 farmers who have enrolled more than 1.1 million acres, in addition to working closely with the 14 SWCDs to help them achieve necessary staffing levels.

Although COVID-19 complications caused us to miss this growing season, we are confident that we will cover conservation crop year 21 in its entirety, which will begin this fall. Funding for the following years remains uncertain at this time due to the uncertainty of the economy brought on by the pandemic, but we are optimistic.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we work swiftly together to support farmers implementing H2Ohio best conservation practices. 

With Deepest Appreciation,

Director Pelanda