Articles
Quantifying Nitrate Leaching from Agricultural Soils
There are several common ways to quantify nitrate leaching. Each method has different benefits and tradeoffs in terms of data accuracy, equipment needed, and time and labor requirements.
Phosphorus Losses Checked by Layered Practices and Careful Timing: A Discovery Farms Project
Discovery Farms project finds that layering practices and implementing them at specific times can reduce phosphorus loss and positively impact water quality.
▶ Nitrogen Leaching: Trends, Risks and Regional Insights
Lindsey Hartfiel explores how nitrogen moves through soil and water systems, the impact of agricultural practices, and the importance of data-driven decision-making to mitigate nitrogen leaching.
Registration Now Open for the 2025 Wisconsin Water and Soil Health Conference
Register now for the Wisconsin Water and Soil Health Conference on December 16–17, 2025, at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells, WI.
▶ How Does Nitrate Leaching Respond to Nitrogen Inputs from Fertilizer and Manure?
Dr. Steven Hall, assistant professor and extension cropping systems and water quality specialist, explores how nitrate leaching responds to nitrogen inputs from both synthetic fertilizer and manure in Wisconsin cropping systems.
Grazing to Protect Surface Water: Considering critical and sensitive areas
Identifying critical and sensitive areas of your farm and managing them accordingly, especially at sensitive times of year, protects surface water quality while maintaining a productive grazing system.
▶ The Zone of Interaction: Exploring phosphorus stratification
In this video, Kelsey Hyland and Laura Paletta from UW–Madison Extension’s Ag Water Program explore phosphorus stratification in Wisconsin agricultural soils and its implications for water quality.
Wanted: Fields under cover
This article was originally published in the Journal of Nutrient Management. Overwintering cover crops is a proven way to further reduce phosphorus losses from cropland. In a cropping system, soil and nutrients work together to deliver healthy plants and productive crops. Fine-tuning soil and nutrient management to achieve profitable harvests and water quality protection can seem […]
▶ Watch: 4th Annual Discovery Farms Multi-State Webinar
This Discovery Farms Multi-State Webinar includes presentations from Wisconsin, Arkansas, Minnesota, and Vermont on farmer-led water quality research in these four states.
▶ Watch: Flood Mitigation and Water Quality in Extreme Weather Conditions
This webinar discusses the dual purpose of some ag conservation practices and the extreme weather making them necessary featuring Dr. Steve Vavrus, Wisconsin State Climatologist, and Sheri Schwert, Agriculture Water Quality Outreach Specialist.
▶ Watch: Neonicotinoid Insecticides: Widespread Use and Emerging Impacts on Agricultural Landscapes
Hear from Dr. Russell Groves, Researcher and Extension specialist in the Department of Entomology at UW-Madison and Dr. Shawn Conley, State Soybean and Small Grain Specialist at UW-Madison.
▶ Watch: Nitrogen Balance: Reevaluating Crop Rotations for Cleaner Water in Wisconsin
Dr. Steven Hall, Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, and Guolong Liang, Agriculture Water Quality Outreach Specialist, discuss water quality impacts under different crop rotations in Wisconsin.
