Hocking County Soil and Water asks commissioners for support letter for $75,000 H2Ohio grant

Raven Rao, district manager for the Hocking County Soil and Water Conservation District, asked the Allen County Commissioners on April 21 for a letter supporting a $75,000 application to the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s H2Ohio conservation pilot program to help local livestock producers exclude animals from sensitive areas.

The program, Rao said, would fund practices such as rotational grazing and seeding and would “directly support Hocking County livestock producers, and excluding their livestock from sensitive areas such as streams and woodland,” with the goal of reducing soil erosion, sediment pollution and bacterial loading into waterways. Rao said the office has connections with local producers and cited a grazing workshop attended by 25 producers as evidence of local interest.

Rao referenced state support in 2024, saying Governor Mike DeWine signed a $2,000,000 bill that was distributed to soil and water districts statewide; Rao said Hocking County used that funding to assist 46 qualified producers with a total of $65,000. She acknowledged the H2Ohio pilot would be competitive and said a support letter from the commissioners would strengthen the county’s application.

The Chair moved to approve and sign the requested letter of support; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The board did not set additional program conditions or funding; the letter is limited to supporting the district’s grant application.

If awarded, the funds would be administered by the district to support producer implementation of best management practices. The county will provide the signed letter to district staff for submission to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.