Waterman Farms

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source Program Grant

Waterman Agriculture and Natural Resources Laboratory is located on the main campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio and is home to education and research projects in an extensive list of agriculture disciplines. The site exhibited physical and operational characteristics detrimental to water quality, include unrestricted access of livestock to the stream, channels that have been deepened and straightened for drainage purposes, and a lack of an established conservation and manure management plan. To address these concerns, this project included three main components:

1.  Installation of agriculture BMPs that include livestock exclusion fencing, a rotational grazing system, stream restoration using two-stage and forming channel design principles, and the establishment of cover crops.

2.  Creation of a demonstration and education site for OSU students, agricultural operators interested in learning more about planning and implementing similar projects

3.  Development of a complete conservation and nutrient management plan that outlines resource concerns and identifies practices to improve water quality and farm production.