DEFIANCE — One day after a federal agency issued its 2025 algal bloom forecast for western Lake Erie, cropland tours were offered at a 50-acre Defiance County research site where a slow-release commercial fertilizer The Andersons has designed to improve yields while reducing algae-forming runoff is being tested.
The event, called Flowing Forward: A Clean Water Celebration, was held at Ohio State University’s extension office in Defiance. It was co-hosted by Rotary, The Andersons, and the Defiance Agricultural Research Association. DARA is a farmer-led initiative focused on promoting sustainable agricultural practices and conservation in Defiance County, particularly within the Maumee River Watershed
About 100 people attended, mostly members of Rotary District 6600, which includes Toledo and much of northwest Ohio. That district said it has been working with Rotary District 6400, which includes much of Michigan and Ontario, on supporting agricultural practices that help both farmers and the environment…