Best Management Practices

The term Best Management Conservation Practices or ‘BMPs’ refers to practices that represent the best information, technology, and practical knowledge on how to prevent soil erosion, improve water quality, and generally conserve our natural resources.  BMPs exist in a number of professional fields and are intended to be a continuingly evolving set of highest standards for the industry.  In conservation, BMPs represent proven techniques with the greatest beneficial impact to the local watersheds and the environment.  They represent lessons learned from practical application. 

Some of the most important BMP’s in this region are:

1. Conservation Tillage:  Farmers have traditionally turned the soil to prepare it for planting the next season’s crops.  Conservation tillage, both no-till and mulch-till, can be described as the ground preparation that manages the amount, orientation and distribution of plant residue on the soil’s surface.  Conservation tillage also does its best to reduce the disturbance of the soils.  Historic conventional tillage methods were not as gentle on the soils and in some areas lead to the decline in soil quality.  Conservation tillage has been proven to not only improve soil characteristics but also has many benefits to the crops produced.  Leaving plant residue on the field can provide benefits like reduced wind soil erosion, maintained soil condition, and increased soil moisture.

2. Nutrient Management: Nutrient management is using a variety of conservation practices to reduce nutrient loss from the soil and therefore, minimize any potential contamination to nearby streams or ditches.   Nutrient management is only a portion of an overall soil and water conservation plan on a property.  Nutrient management plans can use practices like filter strips or wetlands to catch potential run-off.  By testing the soils on a regular basis to see what the nutrient needs are and not over applying fertilizers, no excess nutrients are allowed to be released from the soil during rainfall events. 

3. Grass Filter Strips:  These are not your typical lawn.  Grass filter strips have proven to provide multiple benefits when installed between disturbed soils and streams or ditches.  Grasses are planted along stream banks to provide filtering of contaminants, to reduce sediment entering the waterway, and to create or enhance wildlife habitat.  Basically how it works is a surface flow of water off fields or disturbed areas moves into filter strips slowing down water movement.  As the slowed water moves through the grasses, sediment falls out into the filter strip.  In addition, water and any potential contaminants in the water have time to move into the soils instead of into the waterway.  Ultimately the grass filter strips help keep our waterways cleaner and keep the soils on dry land.  

4. Riparian Forest Buffers:  Plant communities established along rivers and streams are considered riparian.  Riparian forests can provide a substantial contaminant and sediment filtering as well as stream bank stabilization.  This type of buffer shades the water beneath, lowering water temperature and improving the aquatic habitat.  Falling leaves and branches also provide needed organic matter for the ecosystem.  Riparian forest buffers work best in conjunction within a larger resource management system that includes the non-riparian areas. 

5. Grass Waterways:  In areas where water has found its own path to the ditches or streams, grass waterways can be used to protect the soil from erosion.  Grassed waterways covey concentrated water flow off a field to a ditch.  The areas serve mainly during storm events and are typically dry the remainder of the time.  Like grass filter strips they help slow the flow of water and allow sediment to fall out into the grassed areas. Following the contours of the landscape they prevent soil loss and improve water quality by keeping sediment out of the ditches and streams. 

6. Windbreaks:  Just as the name suggests slowing down the wind is the name of the game.  Windbreaks are one or more lines of trees, shrubs and ground covering plants placed across a field or an open area where winds move through unrestricted.  Slowing the wind down can prevent soil erosion and the plants can provide wildlife habitat.  The trees and shrubs supply nesting and winter cover for birds and some plant species can also provide food.  Windbreaks can also offer the same sort of shielding for homes and other buildings that can help improve energy efficiency and reduce wind damage. 

7. Wetland Restoration:  Bringing back what has been lost.  Wetland restoration work is aimed at taking soils that formerly supported wetlands and returning them to a functional wetland.  In Northwest Ohio much of our land was historically drained from wetlands and cleared to open-up land for farming.  Wetlands provide filtering of surface water for contaminants, improved water movement into the soil, acting like a sponge to take in extra water during storm events, and providing wildlife habitat.  Restoration work includes installing wetland plants, removing soil draining features like field tiles, and adding water retention features like dikes. 

8. Animal Waste Utilization:  Animal wastes are commonly used as a soil amendment for growing crops.  These organic residues are applied in a number of methods to the soils to provide additional nutrients.  Problems can arise when waste is applied incorrectly and causes significant contamination of surface and ground waters.  To minimize the risk of contamination appropriate rates and methods for application have been developed.  Methods include using soil test information to determine the nutrient needs of the soil and planned crop, incorporation of the waste material into the soil, and limiting applications during the winter season when the ground is frozen.