How Management Effects How Management Effects Nutrient and Sediment Nutrient and Sediment

LossesLosses

Dennis FrameDennis Frame Fred MadisonFred Madison

DirectorsDirectors

UW Discovery Farms ProgramUW Discovery Farms Program

Goals of Discovery FarmsGoals of Discovery Farms

1)1) Evaluate farming systems effects on Evaluate farming systems effects on air, water and soil air, water and soil

2)2) Understand farming systems - how Understand farming systems - how they operate they operate

Goals – ContinuedGoals – Continued

3)3) Work with families to identify how Work with families to identify how to modify farming systems while to modify farming systems while insuring economic viability insuring economic viability

4)4) Insure fairness of environmental Insure fairness of environmental regulations regulations

Questions To AddressQuestions To Address How much water really runs off of farm fields?How much water really runs off of farm fields?

When does this runoff occur?When does this runoff occur?

What is the magnitude of the losses associated What is the magnitude of the losses associated with this runoff? with this runoff?

When do these losses occur?When do these losses occur?

Discovery Farm Locations

Buffalo County

• Two paired basin sites (stream)

Iowa County

• Up/down stream and one field site

LaFayette County

• Three paired basin sites (field)

Kewaunee County

• Three paired basin sites (field)

• Two tile line sites

Discovery Farms

Special Projects

Manitowoc County

• Up / down stream sites

• One small basin site

• One tile site

• One large basin site

Waukesha County

• One small basin site

• Two tile monitoring sites

What are we analyzing for?What are we analyzing for?

Suspended SedimentSuspended Sediment Total Dissolved SolidsTotal Dissolved Solids TKNTKN AmmoniumAmmonium NitrateNitrate Total PTotal P Dissolved Reactive PDissolved Reactive P ChlorideChloride Total NitrogenTotal Nitrogen Organic NitrogenOrganic Nitrogen

Why did we choose Why did we choose these constituents these constituents to look at?to look at?

What is the What is the significance of significance of these constituents?these constituents?

What is a runoff event or What is a runoff event or storm?storm?

There are two types of There are two types of runoff events: Those that runoff events: Those that derive from rainfall on non-derive from rainfall on non-frozen ground and those frozen ground and those that are the combination of that are the combination of rain and melting snow on rain and melting snow on frozen ground.frozen ground.

To fully understand the To fully understand the relationships between the relationships between the landscape and its practices landscape and its practices to the water quality, both to the water quality, both types of runoff events are types of runoff events are important to analyze. important to analyze.

Sample Overview - 2004Sample Overview - 2004

At the three sites we At the three sites we had in operation, had in operation, samples representing samples representing 98% of the annual storm 98% of the annual storm volume were collected.volume were collected.

This means, 2% of the This means, 2% of the annual storm volume annual storm volume was unsampled or was unsampled or “missed” and “missed” and concentrations were concentrations were estimated.estimated.

Sample Overview - 2005Sample Overview - 2005

Samples representing 84% Samples representing 84% of the total runoff volume of the total runoff volume were collected in Kewaunee were collected in Kewaunee County.County.

Samples representing 95% Samples representing 95% of the total runoff volume of the total runoff volume were collected in Manitowoc were collected in Manitowoc County.County.

There were 524 discrete There were 524 discrete samples taken so far in samples taken so far in Kewaunee County and 695 Kewaunee County and 695 discrete samples (not discrete samples (not including the tile) in including the tile) in Manitowoc County.Manitowoc County.

Monthly Precipitation and Surface Water Runoff Totals for Farm A and B November 2003 - April 2005

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

Nov-03

Dec-03

Jan-04

Feb-04

Mar-04

Apr-04

May-04

Jun-04

Jul-04

Aug-04

Sep-04

Oct-04

Nov-04

Dec-04

Jan-05

Feb-05

Mar-05

Apr-05

Ru

no

ff, i

n in

ch

es

Farm A 3-Basin Average Runoff

Farm B 3-Basin Average Runoff

Runoff during Runoff during frozen ground frozen ground periods make up a periods make up a significant portion significant portion of the yearly of the yearly runoff.runoff.

Most studies don’t Most studies don’t capture snowmelt.capture snowmelt.

When does runoff occur?When does runoff occur?

Farm B

41%59%

Frozen Ground

Non-FrozenGround

Farm A

50% 50%

Frozen Ground

Non-FrozenGround

SnowmeltSnowmelt Snowmelt is labor Snowmelt is labor

intensive.intensive.

Freezing conditionsFreezing conditions

State-wide eventState-wide event

Weeks of runoffWeeks of runoff

Expensive!Expensive!

Precipitation vs. Runoff Depth, Field Year 2004Farm A vs. Farm B

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Farm A Farm B

Pre

cip

itat

ion

an

d R

un

off

Dep

th, i

n in

ches

Precipitation

Runoff

8 - Frozen Ground21 - Non-Frozen Ground

4034

Values for precipitations bars are the number of events greater than 0.25"Values for runoff bars are the number of runoff events (frozen ground vs. non-frozen ground)

5 - Frozen Ground10 - Non-Frozen Ground

13%

13%4%

2004 Suspended Sediment Discovery Farms A & B

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

A1 A2 A3 B1 B2 B3

Site

Su

spen

ded

Sed

imen

t (l

bs/

acre

)

Suspended Sediment 2004Discovery Farms A & B

0100200300400500600700800900

A1 A2 A3 B1 B2 B3

Sites

Po

un

ds/

Acr

e

Frozen Ground

Non-Frozen Ground

FY05 Sediment Loss FY05 Sediment Loss HighlightsHighlights

SuspendeSuspended d

Sediment Sediment Load (lbs)Load (lbs)

WatersheWatershedd

Size Size (acres)(acres)

Suspended Suspended Sediment Sediment

Yield Yield (lbs/acre)(lbs/acre)

SuspendeSuspended d

Sediment Sediment (Wheel-(Wheel-barrows)barrows)

P1P1 278278 20.520.5 13.613.6 0.510.51

P2P2 495.8495.8 22.122.1 22.422.4 0.900.90

P3P3 405.8405.8 13.213.2 30.830.8 0.740.74

K1K1 44894489 495495 9.09.0 8.168.16

K2K2 43814381 641641 6.86.8 7.977.97

K3K3 37183718 14.714.7 253253 6.766.76

Surface-Water Nutrient Losses Surface-Water Nutrient Losses FY04FY04

A large portion of the total nutrient losses A large portion of the total nutrient losses occurred during the period of frozen ground.occurred during the period of frozen ground.

Can we assume this is the same for all years?Can we assume this is the same for all years?

FY04 Kewaunee Farm Total Phosphorus Losses

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1 2 3

To

tal P

ho

sph

oru

s, lb

s/ac

re Non-Frozen Ground

Frozen Ground

FY04 Kewaunee Farm Total Nitrogen Losses

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

1 2 3

To

tal N

itro

ge

n, l

bs

/ac

re

Non-Frozen Ground

Frozen Ground

Total Nitrogen Yield 2004Discovery Farms A & B

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

A1 A2 A3 B1 B2 B3

Sites

Po

un

ds

/Ac

re

Frozen Ground

Non-Frozen Ground

Discovery Farm B - Frozen Ground by YearTotal N Yield

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

B1 B2 B3

Po

un

ds

/ A

cre

2004 2005

9/19/03 6,000 gallons2/13/04 4,300 gallons

10/6/04~ 3.7 T pen manure

11/5/03 7,0000 gallons

10/19/04 4,100 gallons10/29/04~ 143 T pen manure1/5/05~ 39 T, 1/28/05~ 52T,2/12/05~ 65T, 2/19/05~ 78 T pen manure

Frozen Ground ComparisonsFrozen Ground Comparisons2004 vs. 20052004 vs. 2005

Total Phosphorus Yield 2004Discovery Farms A & B

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

A1 A2 A3 B1 B2 B3

Sites

Po

un

ds/

Acr

e

Frozen Ground

Non-Frozen Ground

Frozen Ground ComparisonsFrozen Ground Comparisons2004 vs. 20052004 vs. 2005

Discovery Farm B - Frozen Ground by YearTotal P Yield

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

B1 B2 B3

Po

un

ds

/ A

cre

2004 2005

9/19/03 6,000 gallons2/13/04 4,300 gallons

10/6/04~ 3.7 T pen manure

11/5/03 7,0000 gallons

10/19/04 4,100 gallons10/29/04~ 143 T pen manure1/5/05~ 39 T, 1/28/05~ 52T,2/12/05~ 65T, 2/19/05~ 78 T pen manure

How is phosphorus lost?How is phosphorus lost?2004 Discovery Farm B Total Phosphorus

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

B1 B2 B3

Site

Particulate Phosphorus

Dissolved Phsphorus

Distribution of P during a storm

63%

77%82% 82%

74%

37%

23%18% 18%

26%

9%

32%

60%

87%

100%

6%

24%

47%

69%

78%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

0-20% 20-40% 40-60% 60-80% 80-100%

% of Total Storm Volume

Pe

rce

nt % Dissolved P

% Particulate P

Cumulative % Particulate P

Cumulative % Total P

Phosphorus Losses Phosphorus Losses (Stream) distribution (Stream) distribution

during a storm?during a storm?

Surface-Water Nutrient Losses Surface-Water Nutrient Losses FY05FY05

All the nutrient losses are associated with snowmelt.All the nutrient losses are associated with snowmelt.

Some P1 losses are possibly due to wintertime manure Some P1 losses are possibly due to wintertime manure applications.applications.

Some P3 losses are possibly due to alfalfa winter kill.Some P3 losses are possibly due to alfalfa winter kill.

FY05 Total Nitrogen Losses Kewaunee and Manitowoc Counties

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

P1 P2 P3 K1 K2 K3

To

tal N

itro

ge

n, l

bs

/ac

re

FY05 Total Phosphorus Losses Kewaunee and Manitowoc Counties

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

P1 P2 P3 K1 K2 K3

To

tal P

ho

sp

ho

rus

, lb

s/a

cre

Take Home Points Take Home Points Rainfall/RunoffRainfall/Runoff

It doesn’t run off every It doesn’t run off every time it rains.time it rains.

The landscape plays a The landscape plays a role in the surface-role in the surface-water runoff.water runoff.

Frozen ground runoff is Frozen ground runoff is significant in volume significant in volume and nutrient lossand nutrient loss

Take Home Points Take Home Points Magnitude/LossMagnitude/Loss

Sediment loss occurs Sediment loss occurs during non-frozen eventsduring non-frozen events

Sediment losses on Sediment losses on these farms are much these farms are much less than “T”less than “T”

With proper With proper management farmers management farmers can achieve very low can achieve very low rates of soil lossrates of soil loss

Take Home Points Take Home Points Magnitude/LossMagnitude/Loss

N & P loss is present N & P loss is present during both frozen and during both frozen and non-frozen eventsnon-frozen events

Most of the Most of the phosphorus loss is in phosphorus loss is in the dissolved formthe dissolved form

Take Home Points: Manure Take Home Points: Manure ManagementManagement

Manure spread on Manure spread on melting snow melting snow (imminent) impacts (imminent) impacts water qualitywater quality

Type of manure may Type of manure may or may not matteror may not matter

Timing of application Timing of application is important is important

ConclusionsConclusions

Our sites are well below tolerable soil loss levels. Our sites are well below tolerable soil loss levels. Farms can achieve tolerable soil loss and be profitableFarms can achieve tolerable soil loss and be profitable Phosphorus loss may be different on a farm with significant soil lossPhosphorus loss may be different on a farm with significant soil loss

These farms are doing an excellent job of These farms are doing an excellent job of harvesting rain (88 – 96%)harvesting rain (88 – 96%)

Applications of manure on melting snow Applications of manure on melting snow result in significant loss of both nitrogen result in significant loss of both nitrogen and phosphorusand phosphorus

ConclusionsConclusions

Manure applications in the late winter Manure applications in the late winter (when snow melt is eminent) should be (when snow melt is eminent) should be done on fields which are internally done on fields which are internally drained and pose little risk of runoff drained and pose little risk of runoff reaching surface watersreaching surface waters

ConclusionsConclusions

Stream data and edge of field data are Stream data and edge of field data are different.different. Soil loss Soil loss Nutrient concentrationsNutrient concentrations

We need more data to improve existing We need more data to improve existing models.models.