Manitowoc County UW-Discovery Farms Update
March 5, 2013
Snow date is March 26th
Manitowoc County Office Complex
4319 Expo Drive, Manitowoc, WI
Sponsored by the UW-Discovery Farms Program, Manitowoc County UW-Extension and
Manitowoc County Soil and Water Conservation Department
AGENDA
9:15 Registration
9:45 Welcome – Scott Gunderson
9:50 Just How Important is Agriculture to Manitowoc County? – Scott Gunderson, Manitowoc
County UW-Extension Dairy Agent
10:00 Working Together to Protect and Improve Our Natural Resources to Enhance the Quality
of Life for All – Jerry Halverson, Department Director, Manitowoc County Soil and Water
Conservation Department
10:15 Results from the Manitowoc County Discovery Farms Project and Practical Solutions to
Protect Ground and Surface Water – Dennis Frame, Eric Cooley, and Aaron Wunderlin, UW Discovery Farms
12:00 Question and Answer Session
12:15 Recognition of Financial Donors and Host Farms – Scott Gunderson
12:30 Lunch
Next page please
Manitowoc County UW-Discovery Farms Update
Financial support for this seminar is provided through a water quality grant obtained by the
Manitowoc County UW-Extension Office and the Discovery Farms Program.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------March 5, 2013 UW-Discovery Farms Update Registration Form
Name:_______________________________________________________________________________
Organization or Business________________________________________________________________
Phone:_______________________________________________________________________________
Address:________________________________City:_____________________Zip:__________________
Email: _______________________________________________________________________________
Registration fee: $5.00 per person
Make check payable to:
Registration deadline:
$10.00 per person registration fee if received after February 22
Manitowoc County Treasurer
February 22, 2013
Mail to: Manitowoc County UW-Extension Office
Attn: Scott Gunderson
P.O. Box 935
Manitowoc, WI 54221-0935
Note: 2.5 CCA credits in Soil & Water Management have been approved for this session.
The snow date for this session is Tuesday, March 26th. Call the Manitowoc County UW-Extension
Office at 920-683-4175, or listen to WCUB and WOMT radio stations in the event of inclement
weather.
Results from the Manitowoc County Discovery Farms Project and Practical Solutions to Protect
Ground and Surface Water – Dennis Frame, Eric Cooley, and Aaron Wunderlin, UW - Discovery
Farms
10:15 - 10:45 Dennis Frame - Challenges facing modern agricultural production
According to Howard G Buffett, "agriculture is one of the only businesses in the world where people
who have no experience, think they understand the challenges and have solutions". Today's farms are
facing challenges that were unconceivable even ten years ago, and most of these challenges are very
complex. This session will discuss some of the environmental challenges that the Discovery Farms
Program has evaluated including the timing of manure applications, recommended methods of
applications, manure handling options and dealing with manure in a sustainable manner.
10:45 - 11:15 Eric Cooley - Major lessons learned from Manitowoc Discovery Farms Project
The Discovery Farms Program collected hydrologic and water quality data on two farms in Manitowoc
County from 2004 to 2011. Data collected from both farms showed the impact of tile drainage and the
importance of agricultural management in these landscapes. The effectiveness of grassed waterways,
timing of surface water runoff and tile flow, correlation between tillage and sediment and nutrient loss,
and stratification of phosphorus in no-till systems were all essential information gained from data
collected on these two farms.
At Soaring Eagle Dairy, data was collected at a 262-acre watershed from 2004 to 2006. On Saxon
Homestead Farm, an upstream/downstream design to determine the contributions from the farmstead
was conducted between 2004 to 2007 and included 3 surface water monitoring sites and 1 tile site. A
second phase of monitoring was implemented between 2007 and 2011 to gain a better understanding
of initial data collected at Saxon Homestead Farm. The 3 surface water monitoring sites and 1 tile site
evaluated infield sediment and nutrient movement in three different grazing paddock types:
overwintered or set-stock paddocks, paddocks that have high usage in spring and fall, and paddocks that
are primarily used during summer months when forage is sufficient for grazing.
11:15 - 11:30 Aaron Wunderlin - Challenges with high and low moisture content soils
Data collected on five farms participating in the Discovery Farms Program indicated a strong correlation
between soil moisture and high risk periods for either surface runoff or increased macropore flow to
tile. This data has been evaluated and is currently being used to predict high risk soil condition periods
where producers need to either modify their application methods or avoid manure applications until the
risk is acceptable. This session will discuss soil moisture levels and help producers understand how to
use this information to reduce the risk of manure loss.
11:30 - 12:00 Eric Cooley - Practical Solutions to Protect Ground and Surface Water
Twelve years of Discovery Farms research has given producers valuable information on both the positive
and negative impacts of modern farming systems on water quality. This session will highlight some of
the applicable management practices for northeast Wisconsin for both the frozen ground period and
non-frozen ground period to reduces the loss of sediment and nutrients from agricultural landscapes.