HENRY COUNTY, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine stopped in Henry County Thursday to talk to local farmers about H2Ohio.
DeWine said what farmers do throughout Northwest Ohio effects everything from the drinking water in Toledo to our ability to enjoy Lake Erie.
H2Ohio is a state-funded program that provides incentives for farmers to implement conservation practices in order to reduce the runoff of nutrients that contribute to algal blooms on Lake Erie.
Algal blooms in Ohio’s lakes, rivers, and streams can threaten drinking water and impact the health of people and animals.
One of the incentives is helping to defray the cost to farmers of planting cover crops, which, when planted after the main harvest, help reduce erosion, and hold nutrients in the soil.
DeWine said Henry County farmers are using the best technology and information provided by the state to make that happen because of H20hio.
DeWine said we're not going to see massive changes in Lake Erie for the first several years; however, H2Ohio is working very well.