Since 2021, OACI has conducted randomized samplings of crop production fields within watersheds throughout Ohio to determine what practices are being used be farmers to manage water and nutrients. The assessment results establish a baseline of adoption for various farming practices, allowing a more targeted approach to increase best management practices across the state.

OACI will continue to assess more watersheds in Ohio and revisit previously assessed watersheds to determine levels of change. OACI encourages Ohio’s farmers to get involved in the OACI Farmer Certification program, H2Ohio and any other conservation focused program to learn about new practices, share information and become better stewards of the land.