For farmers in the Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair watersheds, and Lake Huron’s southeast shores watershed, help to implement Better Management Practices (BMP) is here. It’s called GLASI, or the Great Lakes Agricultural Stewardship Initiative.
Related: Agricultural Run-Off A Main Focus of Great Lakes’ Eutrophication Concerns
“The official launch was last February at our annual meeting,” says Margaret May, regional program lead with OSCIA, in the following video. “Now we’re into kind of the meat of the program.”
The program consists of two components. First, the “Farmland Health Check-Up” offers producers in the GLASI Target Area a free, one-on-one consultation with a Certified Crop Advisor. The Check-Up involves assessing soil and pollinator health to determine base and target levels.
The second part of the program is called the “Farmland Health Incentive Program,” and offers funding to producers interested in implementing BMPs identified in the Check-Up. Eligible BMPs include: cover crops, organic amendments, crop nutrient plans, windbreaks/windstrips, buffer strips, tillage/equipment modifications, fragile land retirement and erosion control structures. Applications must include a Premises Identification Number, a Farm Business Registraion Number (or appropriate exemption) and a recent peer-reviewed Environmental Farm Plan and Action Plan.
According to May, producers could receive up to 75% cost sharing, to a maximum of $25,000.
Find out more about GLASI.
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