Progress 07/01/10 to 06/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Target Audiences included Ag Producers, WI Conservation Professionals (Govt. Agency, Educational and Private), Wisconsin Citizens (esp. rural residents), under-served audiences (including the Amish, minority and women farmers, Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Volunteers, Private Contractors (with a conservation impact or connection). Conservation Professionals in other states are now being reached in a national expansion of Technical Service Provider (TSP) training on Conservation Reserve Program inventories, plans and forms. Other participants in these efforts to reach target audiences included a partnership consisting of the UW Madison Environmental Resources Center (ERC), UW Madison Nutrient and Pest Management (NPM) Program, UW-Extension Natural Resources Educators, County Extension staff, ERC Publications and Program Evaluation Specialists and other State Specialists, Land Conservation Department (LCD) staff, agribusinesses and ag co-ops, Discovery Farms staff, various WI Technical Colleges, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WDATCP) and USDA-NRCS. SNAP Plus is being developed and maintained by UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Soils Department staff and programmers. The Basin Educators are a network of 15 UW-Extension Educators placed at key points around Wisconsin and they work with DNR (Department of Natural Resources) staff, County Ag Agents, local government staff, private conservation services/business and other stakeholders. Discovery Farms include partnerships with UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm, Wisconsin Ag Stewardship (WASI) members, WI NRCS, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB), Sand County Foundation, numerous livestock farms and commodity organizations, US Geological Survey (USGS), Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS), and of course UW-Extension. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Conservation Professional Training: Over 450 conservation professionals per year attend technical update workshops and training sessions that help meet state and federal certification requirements, provide continuing education to maintain certifications, and provide research based technical information in the areas such as conservation/ environmental protection and enhancement, meeting technical design standards, and working with diverse clientele. Nutrient Management Farmer Education programs are now being conducted in most Wisconsin Counties where farmers are taught how to protect water and soil resources from excess nutrients by using best practices consistent with the 590 Standard. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results have been made available to communities of interest via websites such assuch as runoffinfo.uwex.edu, publications (printed in prior years so not included here) related to Discovery Farms entitled "Graduation Reports," and through continued innovative training programs conducted by Natural Resources Educators (NREs) using other funds after this project ended. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Discovery Farms Program (DFP): Installation of new monitoring equipment at new Watershed study farms was completed. The weather this past year was not too wet, making the access to field sites easier. Four stations were installed in the upper reaches of the Red Cedar Watershed to get a handle on nutrient losses under two different farming systems. These are paired sites, and the data from these sites will help us further define what is happening on farms in this watershed. Three other sites have been installed in the Jersey Valley Watershed which include a range of manure management techniques, farming systems and physical settings. These sites will be linked with three stream stations to determine where and when losses occur in this watershed. We will also be collecting samples in the lake and below the lake to determine the impact of the lake on the stream below the dam. Edge of field site selection in the Willow River Watershed is beginning. 2. Conservation Professional Training: Over 450 conservation professionals per year attend technical update workshops and training sessions that help meet state and federal certification requirements, provide continuing education to maintain certifications, and provide research based technical information in the areas such as conservation/ environmental protection and enhancement, meeting technical design standards, and working with diverse clientele. We expect up to 20 states to participate in a national expansion of this work in a new project funded by NRCS. 3. 25 Nutrient Management Farmer Education projects were awarded grants in the project period and over $600,000 of in-kind support was provided by counties and Technical Colleges in order to conduct the projects. The loss of earmarks has reduced the number of new local projects to whatever the state can afford, which will be about 10 in the new year. We hope additional federal funding can be found. 4. Innovative Conservation Education: Environmental Resources Center (ERC) staff conducted numerous programs for thousands of participants. Specific impacts of note include the volunteer water quality monitoring program which provided trainings for over 450 participants annually. Selected trainees now enter water quality data from more than 120 monitoring sites into a web database. Where possible, ERC trainings include anonymous Pre and Post workshop surveys. A majority of participants planned to adopt conservation-positive behaviors based on what they learned. Finally, ERC staff developed printed and electronic conservation oriented publications distributed to tens of thousands nationwide each year. They also developed and maintained popular websites for professionals and producers such as runoffinfo.uwex.edu. which averages over 50,000 hits per year.
Publications
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Progress 07/01/11 to 06/30/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: This project, which is part of what was a continuing earmark funded program, includes several areas of integrated applied research and associated outreach programming. The listings here match those of CRIS reports for earlier funding periods. 1 The UW Discovery Farms Program is implementing the second generation of watershed study sites and has redirected staff and monitoring efforts toward establishing a baseline set of data (such as runoff/precipitation). They also completed the papers with the information gained from the previously graduated farms and are disseminating results. 2 Conservation Professional Training (CPT) staff provided training on using the SNAP-Plus Nutrient Management Planning software program and curriculum designed for the preparation of nutrient management plans in accordance with Wisconsin's most recent 590 Standard. State funds assisted in this effort. Workshop and training topics include, but are not limited to: Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning (CNMPs), Conservation Planning, Cover Crops, Drainage, Upland Treatment, Invasive Species, Manure Applicator Certification, Manure Spill Response, Nutrient Management, PI/SNAP Plus, Organic Transition Plan Development, Native Pollinators, Mason and Leafcutter Bee Management, Managed Grazing, RUSLE2, and TSP Requirements. This program is now a model that is being expanded nationally. 3 Nutrient Management Planning workshops were held which increase producers understanding about the principles of sound nutrient management and related environmental regulations and help producers use appropriate amounts of nutrients for their operations. Producers who implement nutrient management plans can improve farm profitability and limit nutrient losses to surface water or groundwater. The curriculum utilizes UWEX soil fertility, crop nutrition, soil testing and nutrient crediting materials. Each farmer receives at least 20 hours of instruction time. The requirement of a 590 Nutrient Management plan for Farmland Preservation (FPP) and Working Lands Initiative (WLI) has created an increased demand for the Nutrient Management Farmer Education program. The cost of hiring a consultant to prepare a nutrient management plan often exceeds the financial incentive offered by either FPP or WLI. 4 Innovative Education Programs were conducted by the Environmental Resources Center and Extension Natural Resources Educators and reached thousands of residents. These included A. developing projects and strategies to help farmers meet Wisconsin NR 151 Ag Performance Standards and Prohibitions, B. establishing stream-based volunteer water quality monitoring projects statewide and creating a real-time database where users can enter measurements on the web against certain parameters which indicate the health of a stream, C. assisting local government and citizen groups with creating strategies for TMDL development and implementation in various watersheds and impaired sites statewide, and D. implementing workshops for landowners on wetland protection, stormwater management, ag runoff management, shoreline and streambank, and forest land management. State funds assisted in these efforts. PARTICIPANTS: Farmer Nutrient Management Education includes a partnership consisting of the UW Madison Environmental Resources Center (ERC), UW Madison Nutrient and Pest Management (NPM) Program, UW-Extension Natural Resources Educators, County Extension staff, ERC Publications and Program Evaluation Specialists and other State Specialists, Land Conservation Department (LCD) staff, agribusinesses and ag co-ops, Discovery Farms staff, various WI Technical Colleges, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WDATCP) and USDA-NRCS. SNAP Plus is being developed and maintained by UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Soils Department staff and programmers. The Natural Resources Educators are a network of 12 UW-Extension Educators placed at key points around Wisconsin and they work with DNR (Department of Natural Resources) staff, County Ag Agents, local government staff, private conservation services/business and other stakeholders. Discovery Farms include partnerships with UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm, Wisconsin Ag Stewardship (WASI) members, WI NRCS, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB), Sand County Foundation, numerous livestock farms and commodity organizations, US Geological Survey (USGS), Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS), and of course UW-Extension. TARGET AUDIENCES: Ag Producers, WI Conservation Professionals (Govt. Agency, Educational and Private), Wisconsin Citizens (esp. rural residents), under-served audiences (including the Amish, minority and women farmers, Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Volunteers, Private Contractors (with a conservation impact or connection). Conservation Professionals in other states are now being reached in a national expansion of Technical Service Provider (TSP) training on Conservation Reserve Program inventories, plans and forms. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: This project was extended to allow for another crop year for Discovery Farms watershed study baseline data collection, for a transition toward national expansion of the TSP trainings and for evaluation of local nutrient management farmer education projects.
Impacts
1. Discovery Farms Program (DFP): Installation of new monitoring equipment at new Watershed study farms was basically completed. The weather this past year included a drought, making the access to field sites easier. Four stations were installed in the upper reaches of the Red Cedar Watershed to get a handle on nutrient losses under two different farming systems. These are paired sites, and the data from these sites will help us further define what is happening on farms in this watershed. Three other sites have been installed in the Jersey Valley Watershed which include a range of manure management techniques, farming systems and physical settings. These sites are being linked with three stream stations to determine where and when losses occur in this watershed. We are also be collecting samples in the lake and below the lake to determine the impact of the lake on the stream below the dam. Edge of field site selection in the Willow River Watershed is underway. 2. Conservation Professional Training: Over 450 conservation professionals per year attend technical update workshops and training sessions that help meet state and federal certification requirements, provide continuing education to maintain certifications, and provide research based technical information in the areas such as conservation/ environmental protection and enhancement, meeting technical design standards, and working with diverse clientele. Over 20 states now participate in a national expansion of this work in a followup project funded by NRCS. 3. 43 Nutrient Management Farmer Education projects have now been awarded grants in the project period and over $800,000 of in-kind support was provided by counties and Technical Colleges in order to conduct the projects. The loss of earmarks has reduced the number of new local projects to whatever the state can afford, but we managed to fund 18 in the past year. We hope additional federal funding can be found. 4. Innovative Conservation Education: Environmental Resources Center (ERC) staff conducted numerous programs for thousands of participants. Specific impacts of note include the volunteer water quality monitoring program which provided trainings for over 450 participants annually. Selected trainees now enter water quality data from more than 120 monitoring sites into a web database. Where possible, ERC trainings include anonymous Pre and Post workshop surveys. A majority of participants planned to adopt conservation-positive behaviors based on what they learned. Finally, ERC staff developed printed and electronic conservation oriented publications distributed to tens of thousands nationwide each year. They also developed and maintained popular websites for professionals and producers such as runoffinfo.uwex.edu. which averages over 50,000 hits per year.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 07/01/10 to 06/30/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: This project, which is part of a continuing formerly earmark funded program, includes several areas of integrated applied research and associated outreach programming. 1 The UW Discovery Farms Program is implementing the second generation of watershed study sites and has redirected staff and monitoring efforts toward establishing a baseline set of data (such as runoff/precipitation). They also completed the papers with the information gained from the previously graduated farms and are disseminating results. 2 Conservation Professional Training (CPT) staff provided training on using the SNAP-Plus Nutrient Management Planning software program and curriculum designed for the preparation of nutrient management plans in accordance with Wisconsin's most recent 590 Standard. Workshop and training topics include, but are not limited to: Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning (CNMPs), Conservation Planning, Cover Crops, Drainage, Upland Treatment, Invasive Species, Manure Applicator Certification, Manure Spill Response, Nutrient Management, PI/SNAP Plus, Organic Transition Plan Development, Native Pollinators, Mason and Leafcutter Bee Management, Managed Grazing, RUSLE2, and TSP Requirements. This program is now a model that is being expanded nationally. 3 Nutrient Management Planning workshops were held which increase producers understanding about the principles of sound nutrient management and related environmental regulations and help producers use appropriate amounts of nutrients for their operations. Producers who implement nutrient management plans can improve farm profitability and limit nutrient losses to surface water or groundwater. The curriculum utilizes UWEX soil fertility, crop nutrition, soil testing and nutrient crediting materials. Each farmer receives at least 20 hours of instruction time. The requirement of a 590 Nutrient Management plan for Farmland Preservation (FPP) and Working Lands Initiative (WLI) has created an increased demand for the Nutrient Management Farmer Education program. The cost of hiring a consultant to prepare a nutrient management plan often exceeds the financial incentive offered by either FPP or WLI. 4 Innovative Education Programs were conducted by the Environmental Resources Center and Extension Natural Resources Educators and reached thousands of residents. These included A. developing projects and strategies to help farmers meet Wisconsin NR 151 Ag Performance Standards and Prohibitions, B. establishing stream-based volunteer water quality monitoring projects statewide and creating a real-time database where users can enter measurements on the web against certain parameters which indicate the health of a stream, C. assisting local government and citizen groups with creating strategies for TMDL development and implementation in various watersheds and impaired sites statewide, and D. implementing workshops for landowners on wetland protection, stormwater management, ag runoff management, shoreline and streambank, and forest land management. PARTICIPANTS: Farmer Nutrient Management Education includes a partnership consisting of the UW Madison Environmental Resources Center (ERC), UW Madison Nutrient and Pest Management (NPM) Program, UW-Extension Natural Resources Educators, County Extension staff, ERC Publications and Program Evaluation Specialists and other State Specialists, Land Conservation Department (LCD) staff, agribusinesses and ag co-ops, Discovery Farms staff, various WI Technical Colleges, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WDATCP) and USDA-NRCS. SNAP Plus is being developed and maintained by UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Soils Department staff and programmers. The Basin Educators are a network of 15 UW-Extension Educators placed at key points around Wisconsin and they work with DNR (Department of Natural Resources) staff, County Ag Agents, local government staff, private conservation services/business and other stakeholders. Discovery Farms include partnerships with UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm, Wisconsin Ag Stewardship (WASI) members, WI NRCS, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB), Sand County Foundation, numerous livestock farms and commodity organizations, US Geological Survey (USGS), Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS), and of course UW-Extension. TARGET AUDIENCES: Ag Producers, WI Conservation Professionals (Govt. Agency, Educational and Private), Wisconsin Citizens (esp. rural residents), under-served audiences (including the Amish, minority and women farmers, Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Volunteers, Private Contractors (with a conservation impact or connection). Conservation Professionals in other states are now being reached in a national expansion of Technical Service Provider (TSP) training on Conservation Reserve Program inventories, plans and forms. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: This project was extended to allow for another crop year for Discovery Farms watershed study baseline data collection, for a transition toward national expansion of the TSP trainings and for evaluation of local nutrient management farmer education projects.
Impacts
1. Discovery Farms Program (DFP): Significant progress was made on installation of new monitoring equipment at new Watershed study farms. The weather this past year was not as wet, making the access to field sites easier. Four stations were installed in the upper reaches of the Red Cedar Watershed to get a handle on nutrient losses under two different farming systems. These are paired sites, and the data from these sites will help us further define what is happening on farms in this watershed. Three other sites have been installed in the Jersey Valley Watershed which include a range of manure management techniques, farming systems and physical settings. These sites will be linked with three stream stations to determine where and when losses occur in this watershed. We will also be collecting samples in the lake and below the lake to determine the impact of the lake on the stream below the dam. Edge of field site selection in the Willow River Watershed is beginning. 2. Conservation Professional Training: Over 450 conservation professionals per year attend technical update workshops and training sessions that help meet state and federal certification requirements, provide continuing education to maintain certifications, and provide research based technical information in the areas such as conservation/ environmental protection and enhancement, meeting technical design standards, and working with diverse clientele. We expect up to 20 states to participate in a national expansion of this work in a new project funded by NRCS. 3. 25 Nutrient Management Farmer Education projects were awarded grants in the project period and over $600,000 of in-kind support was provided by counties and Technical Colleges in order to conduct the projects. The loss of earmarks has reduced the number of new local projects to whatever the state can afford, which will be about 10 in the new year. We hope additional federal funding can be found. 4. Innovative Conservation Education: Environmental Resources Center (ERC) staff conducted numerous programs for thousands of participants. Specific impacts of note include the volunteer water quality monitoring program which provided trainings for over 450 participants annually. Selected trainees now enter water quality data from more than 120 monitoring sites into a web database. Where possible, ERC trainings include anonymous Pre and Post workshop surveys. A majority of participants planned to adopt conservation-positive behaviors based on what they learned. Finally, ERC staff developed printed and electronic conservation oriented publications distributed to tens of thousands nationwide each year. They also developed and maintained popular websites for professionals and producers such as runoffinfo.uwex.edu. which averages over 50,000 hits per year.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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