Documenting and Monitoring Management Changes in WatershedsUW- Discovery Farms

Amber RadatzSoil and Water Conservation Society

July 29, 2014

Discovery Farms• Producer led

– Steering committee, cooperating farms

• Credible water quality research– Partnership with USGS– 46 surface, tile, and stream sites since 2002– 160 site years (58% edge of field, 16% tile, 26% stream)

• Communicating results– 100+ presentations per year– 160 publications on our website– Several articles and inserts in newspaper annually

1 Beef

1 Swine (Odor)

1 Poultry-stacking

2 dairy – grazing

1 Dairy -grazing/organic

4 Dairy - confinement

2 Watersheds

3 Bunker silo leachate

Surface Monitoring

Nutrient management data• 9,200 acres

completed total

• 2,200 in watershed– 12 farms, – 65% of ag acres

• Watershed area– 4,975 acres

(7.75 sq. mi)

Soil Test Values• 11 farms, 776 fields,

8620 acres

• Average field size: 11 acres

• All use manure regularly

80%

Phosphorus Index Values

60% 90%

Predicted Soil Loss7 out of 628 fields were greater than 4 tons/acre

82% of fields less than 2 tons/acre

65% less than ½ T value

Walkover data

• 32 farms, 4,776 acres already walked (94% of total)

• Began in fall 2012, finishing now

• Changes began fall 2013

Walkovers: Verification Tool 2

72 areas in need of improvement– Most challenging: livestock areas, upland area, waterways

530 more areas that could be nutrient and sediment sources but are currently managed well

72 Changes Recommended to 32 farmers

21 changes made immediately

Incentivizing • Nutrient management planning

– Paid consultants per acre, not farmer• No incentive payment for participating in

walkover• Cover crop cost share

– $1,000 towards seed purchase– 2013- 593 acres, $10.33/acre)

• Earthwork cost share– $1,000 towards hiring contractor to repair

identified areas

Monitoring StationsOgden- Intermittent, drains

approx. 1/3 of watershed

Peaceful- Perennial, drains approx. 3/4 of watershed

Farm 1- No Till, Dairy, Daily Haul Manure

Farm 2- No Till with vertical tillage, Dairy, Surface Applied Manure

Farm 3- Minimum Till, Dairy, Incorporated Manure

Sediment ResultsStream Field

1 Low sediment loss from field sites (WI DF Average 650 pounds/acre)

2 Sediment yield at Ogden similar between ‘11 and ’13 even though runoff during non-frozen higher in ‘13 – effect of improvements?

1

2

1 Watch similarities in phosphorus and nitrogen results in fields2 Note low losses from Farm 3 –impact of manure incorporation?

3 Perennial stream so far meeting state water quality criteria

Phosphorus ResultsStream Field

1

2

3

Nitrogen Results

Stream Field

1 N loss is function of flow in perennial stream (baseflow)2 2013 N loss from farms mostly in April

(before commercial N)

1

2

Lessons• Acute vs. chronic events• No low hanging fruit• Many implementable answers to the same

question• Multiple methods of verification are crucial• Educational programming and relationship

building are cornerstones, monitoring data provides support

$1 million ??s• Does this area meet water quality

criteria even after a major fish kill event? So far, yes.

• Does the current suite of practices do an adequate job of protecting water quality and farm sustainability?

• Manure incorporation with minimal soil disturbance

• Nitrogen use efficiency• Careful timing of manure application

Questions and comments?Amber Radatz

aradatz@wisc.edu608-317-0001

www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org