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Chairman Oelslager, Vice Chair Scherer, Ranking Member Cera and distinguished members of the House Finance Committee; The Ohio Soybean Association like to express our support for funding of the H2Ohio within the 2020-2021 Operating Budget.

We support a funding plan to help improve water quality and protect the long-term sustainability of family farms in Ohio. The proposed H2Ohio initiatives include significant resources for the implementation of best management practices (BMPs), such as cover crops, buffer strips, equipment, and precision technology that will help farmers keep nutrients in the soil where they belong.

Ohio farmers want to be part of the solution and are already taking action to curb runoff and protect the health of our waterways. This funding will help us accelerate the adoption of BMPs throughout the state and especially in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) where those practices are so desperately needed.

We commend our state leaders for using H2Ohio as a vehicle to bring all stakeholders to the table, which includes farmers, agribusiness, local governments, conservationists and environmentalists to find long-term, science-based solutions.

We do not have to choose between the health of Lake Erie and the viability of Ohio farms, we will achieve both if we work together. Thank you for your time and are happy to answer any questions from the committee as the need arises.

Scott Metzger

President, Ohio Soybean Association

Soybean farmer in Ross County, Ohio