2024 has provided no shortage of variable weather patterns here in Wisconsin. Each season has contributed to a unique domino effect the likes of which we haven’t seen in some time, if ever. We began by emerging from the single warmest winter on the books for Wisconsin, allowing for field work to take place early and plenty of tillage was concluded before the spring rains arrived.
This article highlights how cover crops impact phosphorus loss dynamics, including 1) soil and water movement and 2) placement and forms of phosphorus within the soil. Ultimately, situations where cover crops will have the largest impact on total phosphorus loss will be discussed to help farmers and conservation professionals maximize impact.
This article includes 1) impacts of climate change in spring in Wisconsin, 2) the consequences of climate change with a focus on phosphorus, and 3) practices to increase farm resilience in the face of rapidly changing weather in spring.
Chelsea Zegler and Dr. Jamie Patton continue their conversation from last year on how soil test phosphorus (STP) impacts water quality. Learn how different cover crops and soil health practices change water dynamics, the location and the availability of phosphorus in different soil types.
A common misconception about livestock manure is that it is simply a waste product of the farm. However, manure is rich in many nutrients and is a valuable resource when applied back onto fields that can benefit from manure application. Research has demonstrated positive impacts to soil quality/health, crop production, and overall farm management when manure is managed effectively.
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.
The use of tile drainage is becoming more popular in Wisconsin. Installing a tile drain system can be a great tool to dry soil out faster, improving the timeliness of field operations throughout the cropping season. However, how do tile systems influence water movement off of the field, and what are the water quality implications?
Guolong Liang, outreach specialist for the Agriculture Water Quality Program of Extension in the Central Sands of Wisconsin, guest hosts this episode of Field Notes. Guolong talks with UW-Madison Horticulture Professor and Extension Specialist Jed Colquhoun about the use of cover crops to reduce nutrient runoff in canning and processing vegetables. For the farmer perspective, he chats with John Ruzicka of Guth Farms in Bancroft, Wisconsin and Dylan Moore, a Seneca Foods Field Representative, about Guth Farm’s journey in integrating no-till and cover crops into their processing vegetable rotations.
Historically, reduced tillage, defined here as tillage that maintains plant surface residue and where nutrients are surface applied (i.e. no-till, zone, strip, or vertical tillage), were touted as the solution for phosphorus loss from agricultural fields.
Farms with livestock have the unique advantage of being able to supply manure, which has many of the nutrients required for crop production, to their fields. However, the application of manure also comes with potential risks to water quality.
Winter Webinar Series 2 of 3 – “Soil test phosphorus: an important risk factor for water quality.” This webinar had two speakers, Chelsea Zegler (an outreach specialist in UW-Extension’s Ag water quality program) and Dr. Jamie Patton (regional specialist with UW-Madison’s Nutrient and Pest Management Program). This webinar went into depth about the phosphorus (P) cycle, analyzing soil test phosphorus and how it is an important tool to use on farms to limit P losses.
Presenters Laura Paletta (an outreach specialist in UW-Extension’s Ag water quality program) and Dr. Francisco Arriaga (assistant professor in the Dept. of Soil Science at UW-Madison) go into depth looking at the best and worst times to spread manure, why it’s important for water quality, and offer recommendations to help limit soil and nutrient losses.
