ASHLAND — Ashland County residents will see low-flying planes across Ashland County Tuesday, Sept. 7 as part of Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District’s aerial cover crop seeding program.
Although the planes will be low-flying as they descend to seed cover crops into Ashland County farm fields, they are nothing to be concerned about, said Erica White, Ashland SWCD technician and Jerome Fork watershed coordinator.
In fact, White says the planes are actually bringing good things to the residents of Ashland County.
“Cover crops offer tremendous benefits to Ashland County,” White said. “Having a growing crop over the winter months not only reduced erosion of our valuable topsoil, but they also improve soil health, increase the soil’s water retention capacity, prevent nutrient runoff and improve water quality.”
This is the third year Ashland SWCD has coordinated county-wide aerial cover crop seeding to help ensure farmers have the opportunity to plant cover crops no matter what the fall weather has in store.
Increasing the use of cover crops throughout the county is one of the priorities White and the rest of the district staff are working on as part of the district’s Jerome Fork Watershed Coordinator grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
“Each year, we received several calls asking about the planes from some concerned residents,” White said. “We want to reassure folks that the planes are not spreading chemicals or fertilizers or anything that might harm the environment; they only spread seed – seed that is actually going to improve the quality of our natural resources and environment here in the county.”
For more information about cover crops, contact White at 419-281-7645 or by e-mail at ewhite@ashlandcounty.org.
