▶ Watch: Tile Drainage Impacts on Water Quality

Agriculture Water Quality Specialist, Laura Paletta and Conservation Profession Training Program Director, Kevin Erb speak to the impacts of tile drainage on water quality and finding old tile lines when maps and records are lost.

Flood Mitigation and Water Quality in Southwest Wisconsin

Introduction Extreme weather is nothing new in Southwest Wisconsin. However, the frequency at which communities and farmers experience this extreme weather in the form of flooding has increased. According to the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI), storms that drop 4 inches of rain in 24 hours or less will double by the year […]

Scouting for Soil Erosion in Fall

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.

 Cover crops for improved surface water quality: Benefits and limitations

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. 

▶Watch: Optimizing nitrogen use and reducing nitrate leaching

How do we optimize the use of commercial nitrogen and reduce nitrate leaching? Guolong Liang, agriculture water quality outreach specialist, and Monica Schauer, research director for NOPP, discuss the importance of nitrogen optimization and the strategies to reduce nitrate leaching. Learn about how agronomic results and water quality impacts connect with lessons from an on-farm trial from the Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program (NOPP) from 2023.

Support Extension