The Discovery Farms® Programs in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arkansas, and Vermont will host a free webinar to present program updates and highlight new data.
Join this interactive webinar to learn more about farmer-led water quality research in these four states. This webinar will be 2.5 hours and will offer CCA CEUs.
Evaluating Agricultural Conservation Practices with Wisconsin Discovery Farms Data
- Lindsey Harfiel, Research Program Manager, Discovery Farms Wisconsin
- Ellen Albright, Researcher, Discovery Farms Wisconsin
Hear updates from the Wisconsin Discovery Farms program and take a deep dive into how we are leveraging edge-of-field monitoring data to evaluate different conservation practices. This presentation will include a case study exploring how no-till, cover crops, and grassed waterways control soil erosion in a dairy forage rotation. We will also provide an overview of how Wisconsin Discovery Farms data is supporting efforts to update the state’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy by quantifying the effects of conservation tillage, manure management, grassed waterways, and cover crops on nutrient losses in surface runoff.
Can Tile Drainage and Best Management Practices Help Vermont’s Over-Saturated Soils?
- Claire Benning, Water Quality Research Specialist, Discovery Farms Vermont
- Heather Darby, Project Director, Discovery Farms Vermont
- Joshua Faulkner, Director, UVM Extension Center for Sustainable Agriculture
As unpredictable and extreme weather events become more common in Vermont. The standing water in heavy clay soil can result in decreased yields and increased surface runoff and subsurface flow. Increased flow of water through the agroecosystem can also contribute to nitrogen and phosphorus losses from the field. Doing so at rates that are detrimental to farmer profitability and surrounding ecosystem health. In Vermont we have set up a unique experiment with four individual watersheds in a single field to measure the effects of tile drainage and best management practices on corn yields, cover crop growth, and water quality.
Edge-of-Field Water Quality Impacts of Cover Crops in Northern Corn and Soybean Farm Fields
- Tim Radatz, Discovery Farms Coordinator, Minnesota Discovery Farms
Cover crops are highly promoted as a conservation practice to improve water quality in agricultural fields. Farmers however, still have questions about the magnitude of impact for these practices. This presentation examines the role of cover crops in a corn soybean field in Minnesota. It shows their impacts on edge-of-field surface runoff and tile drainage. It also provides insight as to what nutrients are impacted and the magnitude of impact.
Assessment of Biochar as a Soil Amendment in Eastern Arkansas Agricultural Production
- James Burke, Program Associate, Crops, Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas
Biochar is the charcoal-like substance created from the pyrolysis of organic resources. Biochar has been recognized as having advantageous effects concerning agricultural production and soil health. In September 2022, the Arkansas Discovery Farms Program (ADF) initiated research into the effect that soil-applied biochar has on soil water pressure, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), bulk density and soil nutrient status. These studies are currently being conducted at two ADF locations in Dumas and Stuttgart along with a location at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture (UADA) research station in Newport.
