25 Years of Discovery Farms

 

Discovery Farms

Discovery Farms® is a farmer-led research and outreach program within UW-Madison Division of Extension.

Resource Library
25th Anniversary Report

 

From Field to the Future: 25 Years of Discovery Farms

About our Research

For 25 years, the program has been listening, learning, and leading alongside farmers, researchers, and partners. As we celebrate our past, we’re focused on the future: continuing to deliver trusted data, practical solutions, and strong relationships that support resilient farming and clean water.

105 Private Farms in
26 Counties

Types of Farms

Dairy

Beef

Seed Potato

Canning Crops

Grain

Custom Heifers

A small group of people gathered in a corn field listening to a talk.

3,510

Water Samples

5,004

Runoff Events

2,000+

Outreach Activities

1.2 lbs/acre

Median Phosphorus Loss

92 lbs/acre

Median Soil Loss

3.07 inches

Median Runoff

What We Study

A harvested agricultural field with corn stubble remaining after harvest. Scattered green, rye cover crop growth is visible among the dried stalks. The flat field extends to the horizon under an overcast sky, with a small cluster of trees and farm buildings visible in the distance.

Land Covers

  • Cropland
  • Grazing
  • Natural

Tillage Practices

  • No-till
  • Reduced
  • Conventional

Crop Rotations

  • With and without cover crops
  • Dairy forage and cash grain
  • Commercial vegetable

Nutrient Strategies

  • With and without manure

324 Site-Years of Water Quality Data

197

Surface runoff
site-years

99

Tile
site-years

22

Streams
site-years

6

Nitrate leaching
site-years

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