Farm Field Application of Toledo Harbor Dredge Material Demonstration Project

PicturePhoto: Hull & Associates
The Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District (Lucas SWCD) seeks proposals to conduct a demonstration project for the field application of Toledo Harbor dredge material from the Dredged Material Center of Innovation on a working farm in northwest Ohio. Specifically, we are looking for a demonstration project of a side-by-side comparison of corn or soybean crop yield between two adjacent test plots on farm fields, one of which will need to have been amended with Toledo Harbor dredge material prior to crop planting. 

Read the full Request for Proposals here. 

Proposals must be submitted by 4:30PM on July 1, 2021 to Joey Sink-Oiler in an emailed PDF format (5 pages or less).

Proposal Application Outline:
  • General Information including name, contact information, etc.
  • Budget Description
  • Timeline
  • Description of project approach that includes:
    • A Letter of commitment from the landowner of the fields to which the dredge material will be applied and the side-by-side comparison will be completed.
    • Conduct side-by-side comparison of corn or soybean crop yield between two adjacent test plots on farm fields, one of which has been amended with dredge material.
    • Cost to excavate and transport per volume, application rate, and number of acres to be amended with dredge material. 
    • Current soil test results for the farm field, including results that show phosphorus levels are in the low to maintenance range of Tri-State Fertilizer recommendations.
    • And apply dredge material on the farm field in 2021 or 2022, with planting to occur in 2022.
    • Use Lucas SWCD approved labs to provide third party verification of crop yield and soil testing in 2022 to compare before and after crop harvest results.

​For Frequently Asked Questions regarding the proposal, please scroll down or click here. 
To read the full Request for Proposals, ​please click here.

To learn more about the history of the project, please visit the Ohio Lake Erie Commission's website.​​