Ohio MSEA activities occur at plot, field, demonstration farm, and watershed scales. Research sites evaluate farming systems and their impacts on water resources quality. Demonstration farms serve as field teaching laboratories to teach farmers how different agricultural management practices can be economically profitable. Plot, field and farm research results are used to model watershed processes and develop expert systems.

Research on socio-economic issues, downstream economic impacts of discharges from agricultural fields, and the development of watershed decision aids is being conducted in the Darby Creek, Maumee River, Sandusky River, and Scioto River watersheds.

Located on highly productive lakebed soils, demonstration sites will show how the construction and management of wetland/reservoirs can be economically profitable to farmers using water table management. A permanent constructed wetland is recharged with agricultural runoff from cropland areas. Water is collected through the wetland and stored in a reservoir for later use as subirrigation water supply.

Scioto River

Demonstration farms in Union, Ross, and Pike counties are used to evaluate farming systems and water management under real world farming conditions.

Water table management practices are investigated on a silty clay soil at OARDC's Northwest Branch. Drainage systems that allow farmers to control the water status of the soil through the use of subirrigation, controlled drainage, and conventional drainage are being studied for their impact on ground- and surface-water quality, and crop yields.

A subirrigation/drainage system at OARDC's Wooster Branch is used to evaluate the ability of the system to influence ground- and surface-water quality on a silt loam soil. Over 8 years of research shows a sustained record of increased soybean yields.

Located on the 650-acre VanMeter Farm in Pike County, this site overlies the highly productive sand and gravel Scioto River buried valley aquifer. Aquifers like this supply public water for cities throughout the Midwest. Since 1990, 3 farming systems [continuous corn; corn-soybean rotation; corn-soybeans-wheat/hairy vetch rotation] have been evaluated for their profitability and impact on ground-water quality. Current cooperative research includes nutrient cycling and nutrient placement within these farming systems, irrigation strategies, and water table management on coupled wetland - agricultural ecosystems.

Click here for more info on the Piketon Research Site.

The Ohio MSEA project is centrally administered in Columbus, Ohio. Project efforts are coordinated by the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) and OSU Extension of The Ohio State University and USDA-ARS Soil Drainage Research Unit in consultation with a broad team of engineers, scientists, and educators.