BOTTOM LINE Thursday, September 3, 2020 SECTION E
Sharing ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.
Forage options impact water quality Protect newly established alfalfa
AMBER RADATZ
Traditional Wisconsin forage systems usually include a combination of corn silage and alfalfa. The ratio of forage crops that are fed to dairy cows depends on multiple factors, including water quality. Since 2001 Discovery Farms® has monitored surRadatz face-water quality on 25 farms in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The water-quality parameters monitored include runoff volume as well as pounds per acre of sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus contained in that runoff.
Crop, tillage type impacts losses
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
May and June see increased soil losses when soil is left bare. Green cover during these greater-risk time periods can help mitigate soil loss. or soil-surface residue throughout the year helps mitigate losses. As one would expect, there’s more risk for soil loss during the establishment year of alfalfa and also in corn-silage years. Those losses correspond with the amount of soil disturbance or tillage as well as the amount of time the soil is bare, or bare and disturbed, in the spring and early summer.
A database comprised of 203 site years’ worth of data has been queried to determine water-quality risks and benefits of current forage systems. While runoff occurs no matter the crop type, the amount of both soil and nutrient Reduce disturbance, loss does vary by crop. Alfalfa and increase cover corn grain show lesser soil losses – usually less than 400 pounds per Most soil losses occur during acre annually. That can be related May and June; in years followto a lack of tillage after alfalfa is ing corn silage the soil is largely established because plant cover bare from September throughout
the spring and early summer. To reduce soil-loss risk in fields where corn silage will be part of the rotation, consider switching to no-till on that field and/ or planting a cover crop immediately after harvest. Discovery Farms data shows that average monthly soil loss following corn silage is three to five times more on tilled fields compared to fields not tilled. Wisconsin farmers are also seeing success planting the following year’s crop directly into the green cover crop. That type of soil protection during May and June when the risk for soil loss is the most helps keep valuable soil in the field.
Establishing alfalfa is critical to ensuring a reliable crop for upcoming years. Through Discovery Farms monitoring we’ve observed losses of almost 1,800 pounds per acre of sediment when spring rain interacts with freshly tilled and planted alfalfa fields. Several Discovery Farms participants have adopted methods for establishing alfalfa in the spring into a growing rye crop that was planted after corn-silage harvest the previous fall. Those methods reduce the amount of bare and disturbed soil in the spring without negatively impacting alfalfa performance or quality. Ask fellow farmers about their experiences. Visit fyi.extension.wisc.edu/forage for the University of Wisconsin-Division of Extension forage site for more information.
Impact soil, phosphorus levels When soil leaves the field the losses include more than productivity value and sediment; phosphorus also is lost. Most particulate phosphorus – that which is attached to soil particles – is lost during the growing season. Increasing cover on the soil
Dairy Innovation Hub creates transformation HEATHER WHITE
The Dairy Innovation Hub is an investment by the state of Wisconsin into our $45.6 billion dairy community, through the dedication of funds focused on research, instruction and outreach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, U W- P l a t teville and U W- R i ve r Falls. The priority areas for the Innovation Hub span all aspects of White dairy in an integrated fashion – animal health and welfare, enriching human health and nutrition, stewardship of land and water resources, and growing farm businesses and communities. But why do we need research to continue excelling in dairy and what will the research do for a farm, cheese plant or business? Through history, research has been the root of innovation. In Wisconsin we have a long rich history that intertwines research at UW with the state’s needs, particularly in dairy. The Babcock milkfat test standardized payment for milk based on quality. The development of Warfarin – a discovery originally prompted after a farmer brought buckets of cow blood to campus in search of a reason why his cows were hemorrhaging – changed medicine forever. If we rein in the timescale to the past 25 years, the impact from research has led to total mixed rations, artisan cheeses, timed synchronization and insemination programs, and countless more developments. To stay competitive our community needs to remain on the cutting edge by continuing to search for transformational and innovative solutions. There’s no doubt that research takes time – and not every project will result in a transformational solution. There are also benefits to solving pressing challenges or time-sensitive questions. With the Innovation Hub we strive to achieve those short-term victories while reaching toward long-term vision. The result is funding mechanisms that help achieve multiple goals. During the Dairy Innovation Hub’s first year we invested in research capacity as well as funded projects 00 led by current faculty and 1
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staff. Those projects have stimulated collaboration across departments, colleges and campuses – in addition to centers and entities across the state. Some of the researchers were already working on dairy-related questions. The Innovation Hub’s funding is helping them address pressing questions in a timely manner or to do initial work. Conversely some of the researchers were not doing dairy-related research previously but now are applying their skills and knowledge toward dairy-related questions. Both situations are wins for the valuable knowledge they yield, the increased capacity they represent and the research that wouldn’t be done without Innovation Hub funding. In addition to engaging those
already on our campuses we are recruiting faculty to fill critical gaps on the three UW campuses. Those faculty members will establish research programs in areas that are increasingly important to our state’s dairy community – from soil-nutrient management to understanding the role of dairy products in support of consumer health and more. While research is the cornerstone of innovation, doing research is not enough if we haven’t asked the right questions and if we can’t put that knowledge into the hands of the right users. Collaboration is central to the Innovation Hub’s efforts. Encouraging researchers across disciplines and geography to work together with external stakeholders and organizations has already guided faculty searches and funding decisions, and communicated the most-pressing challenges. The instructional and outreach components of the Innovation Hub prioritize dissemination of
new knowledge. We’re already sharing videos and presentations of the projects selected for funding in the first year. As those early-funded projects begin yielding results the public will see them in print publications, on social media, at conferences and at the Dairy Summit – to be held virtually Nov. 18. In our search for transformational solutions we will assuredly find ways to improve best practices, better understand pressing issues within the priority areas and continue to train the bright young minds who will be joining the Wisconsin dairy community. Visit cals.wisc.edu/ dairy-innovation-hub for more information. Heather White is the faculty director of the Dairy Innovation Hub and associate professor in the department of dairy science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Email heather.white@wisc. edu to reach her.
and reducing soil disturbance in forage rotations will lessen phosphorus losses. Discovery Farms data indicates that decreasing soil loss is the first step to decreasing phosphorus loss, and thus improving a farm’s water-quality impact. While focusing on those practices is not the final step in reducing phosphorus losses, it’s a tremendous first step. There are also positive reports on new alternative forage varieties that are working well for farmers across the landscape. Those varieties could provide more ground cover, manure-application windows and plant diversity while creating quality feed. Visit bit.ly/31f5j4s to listen to the Producer-Led Webinar on Alternative Forages. Wisconsin is the dairy state. A large contributor to that heritage stems from the incredible ability farmers have shown to produce vast quantities of quality forages. Producers should continue to consider ways to decrease the vulnerability of current systems regarding soil and nutrient loss. Visit www.uwdiscoveryfarms. org for more information. Amber Radatz is co-director of University of Wisconsin-Discovery Farms. Email amber.radatz@wisc. edu to reach her.
Collaboration is central to the Innovation Hub’s efforts.
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