Farmer-tested, environment approved: Develop a winning cropping strategy 4th Annual UW Discovery Farms Winter Conference December 15, 2015 • 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Glacier Canyon Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells
Registration is $50 and includes materials and noon meal. For more information email callie.herron@ces.uwex.edu or call 715.983.5668. 9.00 a.m.
Registration
9:30 a.m.
Agriculture and Water Quality: The Midwest Picture
10:15 a.m.
Dr. Adam Birr, Executive Director, Minnesota Corn Growers Association
Manure and No-Till: Have we Figured Out Phosphorus?
Dr. Clinton Church, Chemist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Region
11:00 a.m.
Break
11:15 a.m.
Farmer Panel: Advanced Manure Application Strategies
12:15 p.m.
Lunch
1:00 p.m.
Too Wet? Too Cold? No-Till and Cover Crop Solutions for Challenging Soils
Jason Cavadini, Agronomist & Assistant Superintendent, Marshfield Agricultural Research Station
1:45 p.m.
Three Keys to Controlling Nutrient Loss on Your Farm. Tools that Work.
Amber Radatz, Co-Director, University of Wisconsin Discovery Farms Program
2:15 p.m.
Break
2:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion: Nitrogen Management Tips and Tricks
3:30 p.m.
End of Conference 4 CEUs available (2.5 Nutrient Management, 1.5 Soil and Water Management)
Speaker Bios Adam Birr Dr. Birr is the executive director for the Minnesota Corn Growers Association having previously served as the research director. Prior to joining MN Corn he served as the Water Research Coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture where his primary role was to identify research gaps related to agricultural impacts on water quality. Dr. Birr received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Water Resources Science from the University of Minnesota. He is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University of Minnesota. Clinton D. Church holds a BA in Mathematics and Broadfield Science Education, a BS in Geology, and a MIS in Hydrogeology/Environmental Chemistry/Environmental Microbiology from the University of Montana. He also holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the Oregon Health and Sciences University. Dr. Church has worked in oil and minerals exploration, education, and bioremediation, and has conducted intensive research in metallurgy, environmental microbiology and environmental chemistry. His current research interests focus on mitigating the environmental impacts of agriculture, with particular emphasis in nutrient and emerging contaminants fate and transport. Jason Cavadini is an agronomist and the assistant superintendent of the University of Wisconsin Marshfield Agricultural Research Station. He grew up on his family’s farm in the hills of La Crosse County, Wisconsin. It was there that he became intrigued with soil conservation farming practices, especially no-till planting. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Soil Science from UW-River Falls and a Master’s in Agronomy from Purdue University where he focused on the use of cover crops as a soil conservation practice. While at the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station, Jason has been dedicated to determining how to successfully integrate the practices of no-till and cover crops into Central Wisconsin. Amber Radatz is co-director of the UW Discovery Farms Program. She has a technical background in manure management and nutrient loss, and an expertise in program development, grant writing, and communications. Amber began her career with Discovery Farms in 2004 as a website and communications intern, and became a southwestern Wisconsin nutrient management outreach specialist in 2009 before moving into her current role as co-director. Her work focuses on assisting farmers with issues related to manure management, water quality and nitrogen use efficiency, especially in western Wisconsin. Amber received her BS and MS in Soil Science from UWMadison.
Agenda 9:30 a.m. Agriculture and Water Quality: The Midwest Picture Adam Birr, Executive Director, Minnesota Corn Growers Association 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.
10:15 a.m. Manure and No-Till: Have we Figured Out Phosphorus? Dr. Clinton Church, Chemist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Region 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 notill 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.
11:00 a.m. Break 11:15 a.m. Farmer Panel: Advanced Manure Application Strategies
1:00 p.m. Too wet? Too cold? No-Till and Cover Crop Solutions for Challenging Soils Jason Cavadini, Agronomist & Assistant Superintendent, Marshfield Agricultural Research Station 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 notill 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!
1:45 p.m. Three Keys to Controlling Nutrient Loss on Your Farm. Tools that Work. Amber Radatz, Co-Director, University of Wisconsin Discovery Farms Program 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.
2:15 p.m. Break 2:30 p.m. Panel Discussion: Nitrogen Management Tips and Tricks
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!
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.
12:15 p.m. Lunch
3:30 p.m. End of conference
Thank You Sponsors
University of Wisconsin Discovery Farms速 Program PO Box 429 40195 Winsand Drive Pigeon Falls, WI 54760 www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org