Study: Ohio's farmland overloaded with phosphorus

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — New research shows that a third of Ohio’s farmland is loaded with too much phosphorus that’s found in farm fertilizers and livestock manure.

Phosphorous is known to feed algae that have become a growing problem in Lake Erie and Ohio’s inland lakes.

Ohio State University researchers tested a million soil samples from across the state and found that about a third had excessive amounts of algae.

Officials say the research released Wednesday will help them figure out how to reduce the amount of pollutants washing into the state’s waterways.

Ohio’s agriculture director tells The Blade newspaper in Toledo that his department will be working more closely with farmers on how to better apply fertilizer to their fields.