How do grazing methods affect runoff water quality? Eric Young, USDA-ARS Research Soil Scientist, and Kelsey Hyland discuss lessons learned from edge-of-field grazing research and strategies to maximize water quality benefits in these systems.
In 2014, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension Discovery Farms began a multi-year monitoring study on two farms (four basins) within Rock County to determine how different cropping systems and management practices impact surface water quality.
Because nitrate is negatively charged, it does not bind with negatively charged soil and readily moves with water. Typically nitrate losses are more prevalent in subsurface water like tile drainage, while high phosphorus and sediment losses are associated with surface waters. Although we do have highly accurate ways to measure tile drainage water quality, such as 24/7 automated flow samplers, this approach is typically not economically or logistically feasible for individuals looking to monitor tile drainage on their own farm.
Extension’s Ag Water program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is looking for high-quality on-farm data to help improve our understanding on how soil health practice impacts soil phosphorus stratification.
Professionals working with farmers to increase the adoption of water quality practices will benefit from insights provided by new social science research. Placing management recommendations into a social, psychological and economic context can help professionals customize communication to farmers to address their barriers and motivations to adopting practices.
