Soil Health Week highlights importance of Ohio’s farmland

This past July, a rare occurrence took place. The Ohio Legislature, in a strong show of support, voted unanimously to pass HB-65, The Ohio Agriculture Appreciation Act. A portion of this bill designates the second full week of November as Soil Health Week. This will hopefully help the general public to recognize the importance of Ohio soils, not only in agriculture, but also to them individually as well.

Our soils are an important part of our everyday lives. In fact, our soils are literally the foundation of our civilization. It gives the area for housing, materials to build them, fiber for clothing and most importantly food. In addition to these essentials of life, the crops grown on them provide the raw materials for many other everyday items we take for granted.

When traveling around our country, it is easy to think we have more than enough soils to meet our needs. But when you realize not all soils or growing conditions are the same and that each has its own set of possibilities and limitations, it paints a different picture.

Soil health has different aspects. Biological health is important, as different soils in different climates each have their own biomes, which affect their productivity. Physically, they can differ tremendously in their material makeup, which affects their permeability to air and water or drainage. If it is too wet, it can result in disease-prone soils.

The topography also is important, as too much slope can cause erosion of the topsoil. Both drainage and slope can greatly impact the productivity of the soil. If soil has adequate but not excessive drainage, less than 6% slope, and is in a suitable climate, it is considered to be prime farmland. It can be expected to sustainably produce adequate crop yields with minimal inputs.

The USDA said these soils are essential for meeting our short- and long-term needs for food, animal feed, fiber and oil seeds. The USDA also said the acreage of these soils is limited and that all levels of government and individuals must facilitate the wise use of our nation's prime farmland.

Therefore, management becomes a key factor in soil health. This may be the grower using soil conservation practices to preserve topsoil or developers and municipalities being selective in using only marginal farmland for building sites and preserving the subsoils of prime farmland.

It should be understood that prime farmland can currently be used for any crop, even woodland. But urban or built-up land can never be called prime farmland, as once scarred by the compaction of development, it can never recover.

It is a blessing that our ancestors recognized this area for its possibilities, in large part due to our soils. Thanks to them, Wayne and surrounding counties have long been among the top counties in the state for agricultural income. In 1910 a book on the history of Wayne County referred to it as the “Eden of Ohio." It then did and still does provide for other areas of the state.

In the 1950s it ranked third in the nation for agricultural income. We now rank 164th out of 3,028 counties nationally and third in Ohio’s 88 counties, bringing in over half a billion dollars to the local economy each year.

But with blessings come responsibilities. As a state, Ohio lost over 30,000 acres of prime farmland to development from 1985-95. From 2001-21 it lost over 200,000 acres, second only to Texas. These soils were created once for all generations; therefore, we need to exercise wisdom to make sure they are used for which they are best suited and most needed. They are indeed a valuable inheritance to pass on to future generations.

Economically, both in the state and in Wayne County, agriculture is the No. 1 industry. Even for the welfare of the current generation, it seems unwise to abuse the resource upon which this $15.4 billion state industry relies. So maybe it's time for local governments and individuals to recognize the importance of this precious resource, as did the state legislature when it broke ranks to unanimously pass this bill.

The local development council describes Wayne County as a top agricultural hub, forming the foundation for the local economy by supporting both local businesses and national companies. Along with the growers in surrounding counties, we play a crucial role in Northeast Ohio’s food chain as we are No. 1 in the state for local food economies. This allows us to provide a stable supply to consumers well beyond our borders. This is not just about us in this county; however, preservation will only take place by starting locally.