The Great Lakes Protection Fund is excited to announce the investment of nearly $2.6M in awards to two project teams developing new ways to improve farm profitability and protect Great Lakes water quality! Together, these projects will help farmers identify better uses for less-productive land and build the business services, markets, and financing needed to support those land use changes.
Building a New Business Model to Support Whole-Farm Profitability and Great Lakes Health -- $1,522,000
A team led by The Ohio State University, The Nature Conservancy, and their partners will develop a new agricultural service model that helps farmers improve whole farm profitability while reducing nutrient and sediment loss. Working through the businesses farmers already rely on for inputs and advice, the team will create paid advisory services to identify better management practices and alternative uses for less-productive acres. The approach will be piloted on 4,000 acres in the Maumee and Fox River watersheds, with the goal of establishing a commercially viable model that can expand across the Great Lakes Basin. Read more here.
Financing the Transition to Perennial Agriculture for Great Lakes Water Quality -- $1,075,000
Building on previous Fund-supported design work, Propagate and its partners will help farmers transition marginal corn and soybean acres to perennial tree crops, beginning with chestnuts. The team will connect growers, processors, buyers, and lenders while establishing a revolving purchase-guarantee pool to give participating farmers greater price certainty during their first commercial harvests. By developing reliable markets alongside new plantings, the project aims to reduce nutrient runoff and erosion and create a model that can support other perennial crops across the Basin. Read more here.