The Tree
T h e U W D i s c ove r y Fa r m s ® N e w s l e t t e r
December 2015
When is the Best Time to Spread Manure to Minimize Losses? Tim Radatz & Amber Radatz
The simple answer – it depends! I am sure you have heard that answer to a question many times and it is never satisfying. It depends on the farming system, field conditions, weather forecasts, time available, how full the pit is, and when do the Packers play again? But in all seriousness, what is the right decision when there are so many factors out of our control? The key is to know the risk factors during the time of application and minimize those risk factors. When discussing manure application and water quality, the focus is usually on two nutrients – phosphorus and nitrogen. While both of these nutrients can impact water quality, the way that they move from the field to water is completely different. Phosphorus is moved off the field by overland surface runoff. It is usually attached to soil but can also be dissolved in the runoff water. In general, if soil test phosphorus values are in check and soil losses are controlled phosphorus loss will be limited. However, phosphorus loss problems also arise when there are surface runoff events soon after manure application. Phosphorus is relatively immobile in soil, but if it doesn’t have enough time to adhere to soil particles it can easily be washed away by a surface runoff event. continued on page 2
INSIDE
When is the best time to spread manure?.................. 1, 2, 3 Meet the conference panelists..................................... 1, 3, 4 Thank you conference sponsors......................................... 4 Growing season recap......................................................... 5 Discovery Farms conference agenda................................. 6 Co-Director’s Column........................................................... 7
Don’t forget to register for the Discovery Farms Annual Conference! Register online at www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org or by contacting us at 715.983.5668 When: December 15th, 2015 Where: Glacier Canyon Conference Center at The Wilderness Territory, Wisconsin Dells, WI Who: Farmers, crop consultants, ag professionals, and agency personnel
Meet the Conference Panelists The Discovery Farms conference is less than two weeks away! This year’s conference will feature two farmer panels. The first panel will feature three Wisconsin farmers using innovative techniques to manage their manure. On Four Cubs Farm, a 900 cow dairy, manure is primarily injected. The farm is located in Grantsburg, Wisconsin on an area with little slope and a variety of soil types. Ben Peterson is in charge of day-to-day operations and in recent years has moved the farm to vertical tillage with GPS controlled injection of manure. The injection concentrates nutrients in a narrow band 8 inches down to protect nutrients from loss and to keep them concentrated enough to keep availability high. The farm doesn’t stop there. Bin run rye is used everywhere possible to help protect the fields from heavy spring rains. continued on page 3
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Most nitrogen in manure is in the organic and ammonium form. Nitrogen in these forms is immobile in the soil, just like phosphorus. Problems arise because soil organisms can quickly convert the organic and ammonium nitrogen sources to nitrate. Once nitrogen is in the nitrate form it can easily move downward with water where it enters either tile lines or shallow groundwater, no longer usable for crops.
Only spread if manure can make contact with the soil. Discovery Farms data shows that manure applied on top of a few inches of snow, especially in the early winter months, does not typically increase the risk of nutrient loss. This is because the manure achieves good soil contact and nutrients can attach to the soil as the sun radiates heat on the dark manure, slowly melting the snow.
The risk factors for phosphorus and nitrogen loss change throughout the year, but knowing the risks of each season allows for assessment of different factors and the ability to plan to minimize losses.
Manure applications should be avoided on deep and/or dense snowpack or if concrete frost or ice crusting of the soil is evident. This is not always possible, so applications made during these conditions should be done on internally drained fields (closed depressions) or low sloped (flat) fields to minimize the potential for loss.
Spreading during the early winter months is preferred.
February and March = high risk
Nutrient losses can be reduced by as much as 50 to 75 percent when manure applications are made several weeks or months before runoff occurs. There are several details to consider in the coming months. Losses from fields with early winter manure application have been comparable to fields with no winter application.There are several considerations for early winter applications:
Late winter is a very risky time to spread manure (Figure 1). On average, 47% of the annual surface runoff occurs as snowmelt in February and March. The highest losses that the Discovery Farms program has ever recorded while soils are frozen have always been when manure was applied shortly preceding snowmelt. It is very important to avoid spreading during this time period.
Check the weather forecast and the Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast before spreading. Discovery Farms data shows that early winter is usually a low risk time period and thus can be an opportune time to spread manure. But we all know that weather can be unpredictable so it is important to check in before spreading. If storage is limited consider spreading in early winter on riskier fields.
Spreading now will help avoid a must spread situation during the risky late winter time. It is also important to spread on riskier fields now so that the less risky fields are available for the high runoff months of February and March. Regardless of storage capacity, having a manure spreading plan that outlines the most and least Late winter manure applications are more likely to result in increased risky fields is important for all times of year.
phosphorus loss.
2 The Tree-December 2015
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without doing too much disturbance and causing soil loss. Placement of phosphorus is a subtle adjustment that needs more attention, but not at the expense of soil conservation.
Stacking and spreading later is a much better option than spreading during snowmelt. Runoff will happen in the winter. Control what is in it. While it might not be possible to control how much runoff leaves the field in March, it is possible to control some factors about what is in it. There are two main management considerations for decreasing the amount of dissolved phosphorus loss from fields:
So when to apply? When thinking about timing of application and risk associated with losing nutrients from the field there are always tradeoffs. Spring application is a great time to minimize the risk of nitrogen loss because the time from application to crop uptake of nitrogen is short, but a wet spring increases the risk for phosphorus loss. Fall usually has very limited runoff and therefore the risk for phosphorus loss is really low. However, depending on the soil temperature and conversion of nitrogen to nitrate, there is a risk of losing nitrogen the following spring.
Avoid manure application shortly before snowmelt or runoff. In the winter, the soil and snow conditions of late winter are more risky for nutrient loss than early winter. Discovery Farms data shows that late winter manure applications lead to phosphorus losses two to four times higher than early winter or no winter manure application. The Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast can be a great tool to help make decisions about when to spread and when not to spread.
In early winter, runoff risk is low and manure can still make contact with the soil, which makes this time period a good option. Runoff risk is high in late winter and manure applications should be avoided if snowmelt is imminent.
Consider placement of phosphorus (surface application or incorporation).
Every season has tradeoffs, the key is to assess the risk factors depending on the time of year and plan accordingly to reduce those risk factors. §
Using no till or limited tillage does a great job of eliminating soil loss, but continuous surface application of phosphorus can lead to dissolved phosphorus runoff. It is a real challenge to get good placement of nutrients continued from page 1
Bob Uphoff and his family own and operate Uphoff Ham and Bacon Farm near Madison, Wisconsin. They raise roughly 3,000 hogs a year from farrow to finish. As a no-till farmer he has had to get creative to find ways to incorporate his hog manure. Bob and the farmers of Yahara Pride Farms began testing out a vertical manure injection tool in 2013, which incorporates up to 15,000 gallons per acre with minimal soil disturbance, cutting the risk of erosion and nutrient loss. Bob can share his own experiences and those of the farmer-led watershed group working to cut phosphorus losses with this technology and other innovative ideas. Brickstead Dairy milks 900 Holsteins on their farm in Greenleaf, WI. Dan Brick, a fifth generation farmer owner, recognizes the water quality issues facing Northeast Wisconsin. He practices no-till planting on half of his acres and started to try out cover crops back in 2009. In the fall, the manure from their 12 million gallon manure storage system is applied to the crop fields. This year, he partnered with Outagamie County Land Conservation Department to utilize a manure injection toolbar made by Bazooka Farmstar. Dan also uses a disk or subsoiler to incorporate manure. Since he’s in the early stages of trying out the Bazooka tool, he will provide his thoughts about the pros and cons and considerations for others thinking about trying out this new tool and planting cover crops. continued on page 4
Cover crop trial on the Brickstead Dairy 3 The Tree-December 2015
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The second panel will include Nitrogen Use Efficiency project participants. Dave West, an independent crop consultant in Southwest Wisconsin, works with several dairy farmers involved in the Nitrogen Use Efficiency project. He’s got experience with a variety of management styles and strategies using a combination of manure and commercial fertilizer. He’ll give insights on effective manure management for maximum nitrogen benefit. He’s hoping that the measurements involved in calculating nitrogen use efficiency will be one more tool to help his farmers get the most bang for their buck in their manure and fertilizer programs. On his dairy and cash grain farm in St. Croix County, Dennis Mitchell is using the project as a way to help him assess differences in nutrient availability based on timing of turkey manure application. Dennis is also interested in variable rate nitrogen application. He’s hoping that this project will help him evaluate whether he will pursue an investment in that technology. Dale Macheel of Macheel Farms in Dodge County farms 1800 acres of corn and soybeans. Dale has recently implemented variable rate fertilizer application and is hoping to gain a better understanding of challenges and opportunities for nitrogen use efficiency in his current system. His fields are highly variable, and some even have tile drainage to improve growing conditions. In this grain only system, every bit of nitrogen is purchased, so efficient use is good for profitability and natural resources. Join us on December 15th to hear the panelists describe their successes and challenges, get your questions answered and take home the information necessary to evaluate your system! The conference will take place on December 15th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Glacier Canyon Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells. Registration is $40 for members of sponsoring organizations, $50 for non-members and includes a noon meal. To view the agenda visit www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org. For more information email callie.herron@ces.uwex.edu or call 715.983.5668. §
Thank You Conference Sponsors
4 The Tree-December 2015
Well Timed Rains Result in High Yields This Crop Season Todd Prill
T
he 2015 growing season started out vastly different than the cold and wet springs of the previous two years. Warm temperatures during early March resulted in most of Wisconsin being snow free by the middle of the month. The continuation of warm temperatures along with little rainfall dried out soils and allowed farmers to start fieldwork by mid-April. Most alfalfa fields survived the winter with very little winter injury or winterkill with the exception of northeast Wisconsin, where many fields needed to be rotated out of alfalfa. In May, corn and soybean planting occurred at a pace that was a week ahead of the five-year average. The western part of the state received several nice rainfalls throughout the month. However, soils in eastern and southern portions of the state were beginning to get dry before receiving needed rainfall the week of Memorial Day. Rains continued statewide throughout most of June making harvest of alfalfa challenging. The frequent rains also made it difficult to make timely herbicide and fertilizer applications to crops. In the eastern and southern portions of the state, standing water in low areas of corn and soybean fields resulted in stand losses. Near normal temperatures along with plenty of moisture continued to move crop growth along at a pace slightly ahead of the five-year average. July started with two weeks of cooler than normal temperatures, momentarily slowing crop growth. Yet, crop progress was still close to the five-year average as corn began to tassel late in the month. By mid-August, rainfall was the biggest concern as eastern and southern parts of the state were running rainfall deficits of 1 to 3 inches below normal. Fortunately, timely storms in mid and late August provided much needed rain to crops during the seed filling stage. The primary pest problems of the growing season didn’t occur until August. Scattered soybean fields had white mold infections and soybean aphid populations high enough to control with insecticides. Tall plants along with early season corn rootworm feeding and strong winds resulted in some corn lodging problems. However, the most wide spread pest was Northern corn leaf blight. Fields with moderate to heavy pressure from this disease had stalks prone to breakage during the fall. Above normal temperatures during early September helped crops to mature and dry down quickly. Unfortunately, heavy rains caused unwanted delays in corn silage harvest and also resulted in harvest equipment leaving ruts in fields. Discovery Farms monitoring stations in St. Croix County recorded several runoff events, which is unusual for September. Soybean harvest started at the end of the month with above normal yields in the 50 to 60 bushel/acre range. The combination of warm temperatures, adequate soil moisture, and early soybean harvest provided farmers an opportunity to establish a winter rye cover crop. Wisconsin continued to experience above normal temperatures during October as most areas of the state didn’t sustain a killing frost until the middle of the month. Harvest of corn grain started immediately after soybean harvest as corn grain moisture levels dropped quickly. Most areas of the state reported above average corn yields in the 180 to 225 bu/acre range. § 5 The Tree-December 2015
Corn on June 10th
Farmer-tested, environment approved: Develop a winning cropping strategy 4th Annual UW-Discovery Farms Winter Conference Agenda December 15, 2015 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Glacier Canyon Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells
Too wet? Too cold? No-Till and Cover Crop Solutions for Challenging Soils Jason Cavadini, Agronomist & Assistant Superintendent, Marshfield Agricultural Research Station
Agriculture and Water Quality: The Midwest Picture Dr. Adam Birr, Executive Director, Minnesota Corn Growers Association
Mr. Cavadini can see the value in getting farmers together to share ideas, check out management practices, and provide feedback through experiences. He has assembled a group of farmers who are evaluating how to use no-till and cover crops in the challenging cool, wet soils of North Central Wisconsin. As the cropland manager on the University of Wisconsin Marshfield Agricultural Research Station, he knows the pros and cons of no-till and cover crops on 1,100 acres and 65 field research trials. He will discuss yield results, soil productivity, economics, and real in-field observations. You are sure to take home plenty of tips to make it work on your farm!
Dr. Birr will start the day off by providing an overview of the current state of agricultural research and water quality. What can examples teach us? What does the future of water quality and agriculture look like in the Midwest? In addition to answering these questions, Dr. Birr will share his thoughts on how farmers can be proactive and position themselves to take the lead on these discussions. Manure and No-Till: Have we Figured Out Phosphorus? Dr. Clinton Church, Chemist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Region
Three Keys to Controlling Nutrient Loss on Your Farm. Tools that work. Amber Radatz, Co-Director, University of Wisconsin Discovery Farms Program
What if you could remove 99% of your manure’s phosphorus? What if manure had 400 times more nitrogen than phosphorus? Dr. Church is developing manure filtration and phosphorus removal technologies that have the potential to do just that. Listen as he describes this developing technology and its future. Is it true that no-till doesn’t eliminate phosphorus losses? Dr. Church will identify the steps you can take to fine tune your system to minimize phosphorus loss without increasing soil loss. As someone working in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, he knows firsthand the importance of nutrient and sediment management on agricultural lands.
We are bombarded with information about water quality and conservation, but what will really work for you? With so much to do and your bottom line to keep in mind it can be hard to know what to prioritize. Ms. Radatz understands this challenge and knows firsthand that there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation. The Discovery Farms Program has discovered a lot from studying the interaction of nutrient loss and field management on private farms for the past fourteen years. This robust dataset of Wisconsin specific information has brought to light some interesting conclusions. Listen as Radatz offers three practical ways to keep your nutrients and sediment where they are most valuable, on your land.
Farmer Panel: Advanced Manure Application Strategies Manure is the most valuable and often most challenging resource at a livestock producer’s disposal. There are a variety of strategies used to manage manure, but what works best for your system? Listen as a panel of innovative Wisconsin farmers describe their application strategies. Strategies covered will include: no-till manure incorporation, manure incorporation toolbars that work, and cover crops with incorporation. Hear about their successes and challenges, get your questions answered, and take home the information necessary to evaluate your system!
Panel Discussion: Nitrogen Management Tips and Tricks The goal of Discovery Farms’ Nitrogen Use Efficiency project is to create a deeper understanding of nitrogen dynamics, for the benefit of your bottom line and state water resources. Participating farmers will describe what they have learned and what measurements they have valued most from their first year in the project. They will talk about what practices they are currently using and what they are considering for the future in order to increase on-farm nitrogen use efficiency. 6
The Tree-December 2015
Wisconsin to evaluate Nitrogen Use Efficiency, monitoring of grain and livestock farming systems in Rock County, and brainstorming ideas for a project in Northeastern Wisconsin.
A time to be thankful Co-Director’s Column, Amber Radatz
I
n 2010, we started two watershed projects (Jersey Valley in Monroe/Vernon counties and Dry Run Creek in St. Croix County) that included monitoring, land evaluation, SNAP Plus modeling, and farmer/community engagement. We now have five years of data from those projects. Our library of information has grown immensely in the last five years to include monitoring of wooded areas, CRP land, a small town, and several more agricultural sites. We have more information about surface application of manure versus incorporation, pastures compared to cropland, and the connection between land management and stream water quality.
It is an exciting time at Discovery Farms with all of this new information generated. Finishing up the feed storage leachate project means that leachate systems can soon be designed based on how nutrients actually leave feed storage areas instead of an educated guess based on urban runoff data. Our data shows that urban runoff and feed storage runoff are two different animals. Without our data, engineers would have nothing to base new designs off of. This is important for agriculture and water quality. Farmers want to capture the hot stuff, but should have the flexibility to choose the right system for their farm setup. I bring up these points because I’m thankful. I’m thankful that these farmers opened their doors when I knocked and answer their phones when I call. I’m thankful that we are in the position to invest in monitoring, keep it there for several years, and really learn something from the information. I’m thankful that farmers, farm advisors, agency partners, and others are willing to listen to and read what we’ve learned and think about ways it applies to them. I’m thankful for the farmers I’ve gotten to know so well and the ones I’ll meet in the next few years. And lastly, I’m thankful for the tireless work you all put in to provide me and my family with the safe, nutritious and affordable food that we eat daily.
These projects started just months after I started working full-time with Discovery Farms. The experiences I’ve had and the relationships I’ve formed with the people in these areas are invaluable to me. These farmers have been with me through two kids, a new job title, and countless other events. I feel like I really ‘grew up’ on these projects. It feels odd to think about ending monitoring and moving on to new projects. Though I would love to stay there forever, in two more years, the monitoring on those sites will cease. In the mean time, we have to plan for our next step. Our next steps currently are: finishing up a feed storage leachate study, starting a project with 40 farmers in
We’ve had a great year at Discovery Farms. Thanks for this year and we look forward to working with you in 2016. §
On behalf of everyone at Discovery Farms thank you for your continued support and happy holidays! 7 The Tree-December 2015
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Co-Directors Eric Cooley 608-235-5259 etcooley@wisc.edu Amber Radatz 608-317-0001 aradatz@wisc.edu Faculty Advisor Matt Ruark 608-263-2889 mdruark@wisc.edu Nitrogen Use Efficiency Project Coordinator Megan Chawner 608-262-0383 chawner@wisc.edu Outreach Specialist Kevan Klingberg 715-983-2240 kevan.klingberg@ces.uwex.edu
Outreach Specialist Callie Herron 715-983-5668 callie.herron@ces.uwex.edu This newsletter can be found on the web at: Program Assistant www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org Judy Goplin 715-983-5668 jgoplin@wisc.edu Research Specialist Regarding the mailing list, call/e-mail 715-983-5668 or Aaron Wunderlin 920-839-5431 aaron.wunderlin@ces.uwex.edu jgoplin@wisc.edu Dry Run Watershed Coordinator UW Discovery Farms is a producer-led research and outreach program based out of the University of Wisconsin-Extension. The Todd Prill 715-225-0862 discovery.farms.prill@gmail.com program is unique in that it conducts research on working farms located throughout Wisconsin, seeking to identify the impacts of production agriculture on water quality. The program is managed by faculty from the University of Wisconsin, along with oversight from a steering committee of producers, citizens and agency personnel representing a wide variety of non-profit and government organizations. Funding has been provided by the State of Wisconsin, UWExtension, as well as a number of annual grants from producer groups and our federal partners.
An EEO/Affirmative Action employer, University of Wisconsin-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA requirements. Request for reasonable accommodation for disabilities or limitations should be made prior to the date of the program or activity for which it is needed. Publications are available in alternative formats upon request. Please make such requests as early as possible by contacting the Discovery Farms office at 715-983-5668 so proper arrangements can be made.