To promote the use of cover crops, the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District is again providing funding for the Cover Crop Cost-Share Program to assist producers in planting cover crops to decrease erosion and improve water quality.
Last year in Licking County alone, cover crop cost-share producers planted almost 2,500 acres of cover crops and kept more than 4,600 tons of soil from eroding into our streams, 4,700 pounds of phosphorous on the land and 9,400 pounds of nitrogen out of the waterways.
Soil & Water will be accepting applications until July 3, 2020. Applications are evaluated individually with fields being scored based on several criteria. Fields that score high enough are approved for cost-share funding at a rate of $12/approved acre. If a producer and field are new to the Program, the cost-share rate is $15/approved acre. There is a cap of 200 approved acres per producer.
New for 2020, soil test results are required on fields enrolled in the Program. Tests must be from within the last 4 years, and a minimum of every 25 acres, e.g. 100 acres requires four soil tests, 15 acres requires one soil test.
A USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) field map must be included with the applications. Contact FSA at 740-670-5340 to have your maps printed prior to submitting the application.
The application can be downloaded at www.LickingSWCD.com/what-we-do/.
Landowners must make an appointment to apply in-person at the Soil & Water office, 771 E. Main Street, Suite 100, Newark, Ohio 43055. Call 740-670-5330 to schedule a time with one of our technicians.
