3:20 – 3:40 pm Developing a land-use monitoring program for Georgia, Jimmy Bramblett, University of Georgia

3:40 – 4:00 pm Lake Springfield case study: shoreline erosion control utilizing native plants, Jim Blazek, King Fibre Corporation, Indiana

4:00 – 4:20 pm Sensitivity of erosion to climate change for corn, soybean, and wheat management in the Midwestern U.S., Monte O’Neal, National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory

4:20 – 4:40 pm Agricultural Reserve Program: Virginia Beach’s solution to farmland preservation, Gene Crabtree, USDA-NRCS

4:40 – 5:00 pm The New Illinois Home*A*C*R*E Program, Robert Frazee, University of Illinois Extension

Land protection and SWCDs: Minnesota overview and the rationale for greater District involvement
Vickery, J.
Corresponding author: John Vickery
3236 Columbus Ave S #2
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Phone: 612-827-8006
Email: jvickery@mcg.net

The Twin Cities area and other Minnesota population centers are growing. Open space is being lost at an alarming rate to the built environment. Nonprofit organizations, local governments, and state agencies are involved in protecting land from development, but their resources are inadequate. The state has yet to adequately support private land protection efforts through appropriate incentive and fiscal measures such as state income tax incentives and matching funds for Purchase of Development Rights programs. Minnesota lacks a nonprofit institution dedicated to farmland preservation. To date, Minnesota has not availed of the federal Farmland Preservation Program, because it lacks a suitable program that can take advantage of it. The state does have a number of programs to promote farmland preservation, but they are generally inadequate. Although there are pros and cons, Soil and Water Conservation Districts are, in many ways, well positioned to become more involved in land protection. It is posited that the most resource-efficient approach to increasing land protection capacity in Minnesota is to build on existing capacity in the Districts and to foster collaboration between Districts and the more experienced nonprofits in the state, especially, the Minnesota Land Trust. Alternative solutions will take more time to develop; yet, ‘the need is now’. Only a few Districts in Minnesota have some experience with conventional conservation easements, although many now have experience with state and federal agricultural land retirement programs, including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. Examples of District land protection activities are given for Minnesota and other states.

Keywords: land protection, farmland preservation, conservation easements, land trusts, Conservation Districts

Developing a land-use monitoring program for Georgia
Bramblett, J.
Corresponding author: Jimmy Bramblett, Water Resources Specialist
The University of Georgia, 315-B Conner Hall, Athens, GA 30602
Phone: 706-546-2073 Fax: 706-546-2145
Email: Jimmy.bramblett@ga.usda.gov

Water is a vital component to every aspect of life. In addition to providing for basic life functions, our ability to manage water resources has tremendously enhanced the quality of life we experience from bathing to cooking and food production to landscaping. The importance of water to us cannot be overstated. Thus, our aspirations to understand it’s natural processes should be no surprise. In Georgia, this is evidenced by the annual investment put into understanding the dynamics associated with water quantity and water quality. It is commonly accepted that land-use and water resources are intricately and inextricably connected. However, a significant oversight exists in capturing this relationship pursuant to our quest for a comprehensive statewide natural resource monitoring and management program. Therefore, NRCS and The University of Georgia are initiating a process that will expand and enhance the National Resources Inventory Program of the USDA to a land-monitoring program for the State of Georgia. A sampling design for county level (10-digit watershed scale) statistical significance has been completed. Many positive applications—and implications—await Georgia policy makers, county managers, planners, researchers, and residents from the data collected through, and the data collection process of, this program. Initially labeled as the Georgia Resources Inventory (GRI) Program, each Georgia resident stands to benefit from the increased efficiency of The countryside addressing multiple resource issues and state mandates at the local level to the provision of a consistent, statistically reliable, and scientifically based data set on land-use across all Georgia counties.

Keywords: land-use, land-management, water quality, resource inventory

Lake Springfield case study: Shoreline erosion control utilizing native plants
Jim Blazek and Michelle Bodamer
Corresponding author: Jim Blazek
King Fibre Corporation, 1398 N Shadeland Ave, Ste 2224, Indianapolis, IN 46219
Phone: 317-356-8437 Fax: 317-356-8421
Email: info@kingfibre.com

Lake Springfield in Springfield, IL is a reservoir of 4200 surface acres,17.5 billion gallon storage capacity, and 57 miles of shoreline in a watershed of 265 square miles. Over 80% of the watershed is used for agriculture while the remaining watershed is undergoing rapid development. City Water Light and Power in Springfield, IL manages the reservoir for municipal drinking water supply, power plant cooling water, and recreation including fishing, swimming, and boating. CWLP manages 735 residential lake leases, as well as several parks and clubs including a zoo and golf course. There are three boat ramps and a handicap accessible fishing area. Agricultural runoff, sedimentation, and shoreline erosion pose the biggest threats to water quality. CWLP entered into a partnership with NUTEC SUPPLY, INC. to provide a demonstration/education project showing an alternative approach using bioengineering principles and native plants stabilize and enhance the shoreline instead of more traditional seawalls and rock or rubble rip rap. This approach offers a natural appearance and biological benefits. More biological diversity is achieved with rock vs. seawalls, with vegetated rock providing even a better substrate for aquatic insects. Tall stands of flowers and grasses deter geese from overrunning the park. The erosion rate prior to installation was 6-12" per year. Additional rock was placed intermittently at the site for years. In fact, rock and ruble stretched into the lake 15 to 20 feet. A one half-mile fetch moves southeast into the shoreline. Spring elevation is 560 (full pool) fall elevation can be anywhere from 555 to 558. Inundation can be up to 562 for up to a couple weeks depending on the weather. Control gates are used to prevent flooding.

Keywords: utility funded, erosion control native plants, demonstration/education project, water quality, private/public partnership, Eagle Scout Project, Coir Plant Logs, bioengineering

Sensitivity of erosion to climate change for corn, soybean, and wheat management in the Midwestern United States
Nearing, M.A., R.C. Vining, and M.R. O'Neal
Corresponding author: Monte O'Neal
National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory, 160 SOIL Building, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1196
Phone: 765-494-8697 Fax: 765-494-5948
Email: oneal@ecn.purdue.edu

This study investigates impacts of anticipated future climate change on soil erosion by water. Evidence suggests that global climate change is occurring related to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations. Historical weather records over the 20th century have shown that precipitation is increasing both in terms of the number of days with precipitation and the amount of precipitation per day, in the US midlatitudes.

Along with the increasing air temperatures predicted with greenhouse warming, more vigorous precipitation cycling associated with surface heating and thunderstorm activity can be expected to occur. As rainfall changes, so will soil erosion. Erosion and runoff for 11 agricultural regions of the Midwestern United States were modeled using the Water Erosion Prediction Project-Carbon Dioxide (WEPP-CO2) model, for 1990-2099. Carbon dioxide levels were based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change data. Air temperature, solar radiation, and their variability were based on the Hadley Centre's HadCM3 model. Precipitation was simulated by apportioning HadCM3 predicted changes between the number of wet days and the precipitation per wet day. Crop management was assigned to corn, soybeans, and/or wheat. Sensitivity to changing crop rotations was examined. The results suggest potential erosion increases in the Midwest in the next century, which could require improved agricultural conservation policies to more precisely target soil conservation efforts for the Midwestern US.

Keywords: soil conservation, climate change, global warming, soil erosion

Agricultural Reserve Program: Virginia Beach's solution to farmland preservation
Crabtree, G. and M. Atkinson
Corresponding author: Gene Crabtree, District Conservationist
Cities of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake
USDA-NRCS, 310 Shea Drive, Chesapeake, VA 23322
Phone: 757-547-7172 Fax: 757-436-0285
Email: gene.crabtree@vachesapea.fsc.usda.gov

The City of Virginia Beach ,Virginia has a total land area of 248 square miles and a population of over 425,000. Besides the beautiful oceanfront that attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists a year the city has enjoyed a growth rate of over 8% from 1990 to 2000. The city is home to Oceana Naval Air Station which employees thousands and is home to the air wing that supports the Atlantic Naval Fleet out of Norfolk.

The City has over 35,000 acres of cropland. This land supports corn, wheat and soybean enterprises as well fresh vegetable operations.

The increased population and associated land uses has put pressure on remaining open space, specifically agricultural land. In 1995 the City of Virginia Beach adopted a program to preserve agricultural land in the City. The program is called the Agricultural

Reserve Program (ARP). Eligible landowners are compensated for the development rights of their property. To date over 5000 acres have been enrolled into the program and preserved for agricultural development.

The ARP has been a win-win situation in Virginia Beach. The program's success has brought national attention and has been a model for other localities who struggle with farmland preservation issues.

The new Illinois home*A*C*R*E program
Frazee, R.W.
Corresponding author: Robert W. Frazee
University of Illinois Extension, Natural Resources Educator, 727 Sabrina Dr, East Peoria, IL 61611
Phone: 309-694-7501 Fax: 309-694-7882
Email: frazeer@mail.aces.uiuc.edu

The new, Illinois Home*A*C*R*E provides an opportunity for individuals to conduct a no-cost, confidential self-evaluation of health and environmental risks in and around their home and property. It is strictly voluntary and participants are under no obligation to take any action. The Illinois Home*A*C*R*E Program is an acronym for Homestead Assessment for Community and Residential Environs.

In Illinois, the HomeACRE Program is being coordinated and conducted by University of Illinois Extension. This effort is part of the national Home*A*Syst Extension program. Beginning in 2002, University of Illinois Extension will be expanding the HomeACRE Program to encompass all 102 counties in Illinois.

In every home–large or small, new or old, owned or rented, city or country–there are potential pollution sources that can affect the health of your family, your community or the environment. The HomeACRE Program addresses the following issues: site assessment (protecting water quality); stormwater management; drinking water (well management); septic systems; hazardous household products; lead around the home; yard and garden care; liquid fuels (gasoline, heating oil and diesel); indoor air quality; heating and cooling systems; and household waste.

For each of the issues listed above, participants complete checklists to identify potential health and pollution risks in and around their home. When risks or areas of improvement are identified, the Home*A*C*R*E book provides valuable information on home and property management, as well as how to take preventative action to safeguard your family’s health.

Keywords: environmental, risk assessment, stormwater management, water quality, air quality, health assessment, risk management, soil erosion, pollution, home checklist

Room – Council
3:00 – 3:20 pm Access Illinois Outdoors, Martha Sheppard

3:20 – 3:40 pm Manure management fouls farm-neighbor relations, Peter Wright/Lee Telega, Cornell University

3:40 – 4:00 pm A tale of two Kentucky counties: A GIS analysis of high quality land under high development pressure, Demetrio Zourarakis, Kentucky Division of Conservation

4:00 – 4:20 pm Assessing local attitudes toward growth and environmental/farmland protection, Kenneth Genskow, University of Wisconsin

4:20 – 4:40 pm An agricultural information management framework for local government planning in Alberta, Canada, Jim Hiley, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

4:40 – 5:00 pm Toward a new definition of soil loss tolerance for the United States, Mark Nearing, USDA-ARS

Access Illinois Outdoors
Sheppard, M.
Corresponding author: Martha Sheppard
RR 1 Box 109B, Pearl, IL 62361
Phone: 217-829-4409 Fax: 217-285-5121
Email: marthashep@hotmail.com

Access Illinois Outdoors in an innovative program operated by Two Rivers RC&D in western Illinois. The program matches landowners with outdoor enthusiasts looking for places for outdoor recreation. Over 350 landowners have enrolled and over 2000 visitors. The privacy of the landowners is strictly protected. Landowners negotiate fees and services they offer with their visitors and surveys show that Access has facilitated over $350,000 annually to the landowners/farmers in the program. Archery deer hunting has attracted the highest number of visitors, but other types of recreation are also promoted. As farmers are able to earn income from visitors, their land use decisions become more favorable for wildlife and other marketable features.

Keywords: agri-tourism, hunting, tourism, Access Illinois Outdoors

Manure management fouls farm-neighbor relations
Telega, L., P. Wright, and S. Bossard
Corresponding author: Peter Wright
Cornell University, 328 Riley-Robb, Ithaca, NY 14853
Phone: 607.255.2803 Fax: 607.255.4080
Email: pew2@cornell.edu

Changing agriculture to protect water quality has caused increasing conflicts between farms and neighbors in urban, suburban, and rural settings. Livestock farms that have responded to the need to store manure and spread it during late spring and summer to reduce the environmental losses to surface and ground water have meet with resistance from their neighbors. Farms have also begun using fields more distant from the barns to spread manure. Many of these fields had not received manure in the past and tend to be closer to non-farming neighbors. Farms have also increased in size, handling more animals, more manure, and farming more land. Neighbors have objected to each of these practices based on odor, health, and animal rights concerns. Several situations that have developed in New York State communities will be presented. Resolution usually involves education, changes in practices, and improvements in public relations and communication between farmers and their neighbors. Recommendations for farmers, neighbors, and local officials are given.

Keywords: neighbor relations, conflict resolution, manure, odors

A tale of two Kentucky Counties: A GIS analysis of high quality land under high development pressure
Zourarakis, D.P., M.J. Davis, S.A. Coleman, and B. Burnette
Corresponding Author: Demetrio P. Zourarakis, GIS Specialist
Kentucky Division of Conservation, 663 Teton Tr, Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone. 502-564-3080 Fax: 502-564-9195
Email: demetrio.zourarakis@mail.state.ky.us

Like in most of the Eastern US, Central Kentucky’s prime farmland is facing unprecedented development pressure. Mercer and Boyle counties are an example of this trend. In and around Danville and Harrodsburg, agricultural producers are participating in programs such as Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements (PACE) and Agricultural Districts to protect land from development. The availability of digital soil survey data and the newly released 2000 US Population Census data make these two counties an ideal case for analytical study using GIS tools. The 1990 and 2000 Census data are combined with prime farmland data from the Soil Survey (SSURGO and STATSGO) to produce a risk/quality indicator scale. Prioritization of expenditures is based on whether applications fall within or near the high risk/high quality areas.

Keywords: prime farmland, preservation, development pressure, Kentucky, Central Bluegrass Region, conservation easements, agricultural districts, urban/rural interface, PDR, purchase of development rights

Assessing local attitudes toward growth and environmental/farmland protection
Genskow, K.D.
Corresponding author: Kenneth D. Genskow
University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service, Environmental Resources Center, 1545 Observatory Dr, Room 102, Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608-262-8756 Fax: 608-265-9203
Email: kgenskow@facstaff.wisc.edu

As noted in the call for proposals, many rural communities are struggling with issues related to growth and development and their implications for farmland and other environmental resources. Many communities are looking for ways to identify and incorporate the preferences of their residents into their planning initiatives. This presentation will discuss how conservationists and rural communities can use surveys to help shape their planning and land management initiatives. As an example, the presentation will focus on the development, administration, and results of a survey that was used to assess attitudes toward growth and environmental/farmland protection in the rural community of Brillion, Wisconsin.

The Brillion survey is part of a larger public involvement process in the development of a joint community plan by the City and Town of Brillion to meet planning requirements under Wisconsin's 1999 "Smart Growth" legislation. The City of Brillion (population 3,000) and the Town of Brillion (1,400) are located near the high-growth Fox River Valley in northeastern Wisconsin. NRCS Office of Farmland Protection and Community Planning selected Brillion as a pilot for a community assistance initiative and, among other services, contracted the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service to develop and administer a survey that would meet local needs for planning as well as NRCS needs for a survey instrument that could be modified and used in other communities around the country. The presentation will address key issues regarding the use of surveys in rural communities and offer the Brillion instrument as a model.

Keywords: community planning, public involvement, growth management, local attitudes, survey

An agricultural information management framework for local government planning in Alberta, Canada
Hiley, J.C., C. Vanin, and G. Bok
Corresponding author: Jim Hiley
Land Evaluation Specialist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 945 Canada Place, 9700 Jasper Ave, Edmonton AB T5J 4C3
Phone: 780-495-6120 Fax: 780-495-4504
Email: hileyj@em.agr.ca

Rapid expansion over the past 30 years has placed enormous pressures on the land use planning process in Alberta. Substantive growth has been recorded not just in the energy sector but also forestry, agriculture, recreation, urban development, and transportation. The need for a framework to collect, interpret and apply current information to important planning issues at the local government level is especially acute for Alberta’s agri-food industry. The industry presents unique challenges to the planning process for it is diverse, complex, and dynamic. Such qualities are not evident in the portrayal of the industry via the concept of land capability rating systems. In response, major private and public sector organizations have come together to: identify key knowledge gaps; design a framework to address these gaps; and, apply it to a topical planning issue. The paper will report their progress to date, with emphasis on the representation of the Alberta’s agri-food industry.

Toward a new definition of soil loss tolerance for the US
Nearing, M.
Corresponding author: Mark Nearing
USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Purdue University, 1196 SOIL Bldg,
West Lafayette, IN, 47907-1196
Email: mnearing@purdue.edu

Soil Loss Tolerance (T) values have been used by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (formerly Soil Conservation Service) in conservation planning since the mid-1960's. T values are used as a basis for soil conservation planning and regulations in this country, and adaptations of the US standard have been adopted around the world. The T value was first defined by scientists in the 1940's as "the amount of soil that could be lost without a decline in fertility, thereby maintaining crop productivity indefinitely", and this is essentially the same definition used today by the USDA. The values set for US soils are currently inadequate for at least two important reasons: 1) they are based on outdated and poor scientific evidence, 2) the relevant economic, environmental, and social issues have changed greatly. Herein we propose a two-part criterion for a new concept of soil loss tolerance, one targeting on-site impacts (A) and the second targeting off-site impacts (B). A: We suggest that on-site erosion rates be tied to the balance of organic content of the soil. Increases in or maintenance of high levels of organic material in the soil should, for practical purposes, be indicative of soil building and sustainable agricultural conditions. Furthermore, soil organic content is a measurable and easily understandable criterion. B: We suggest that off-site impact of erosion should be tied to sediment balances in stream and river systems. The Mississippi River is by far the largest carrier of sediment in the continental United States. Since the 1700's the sediment load in the Mississippi has decreased dramatically, while at the same time erosion rates in the river basin have increased due to the development of agriculture in the area. This undoubtedly means that sediment is being stored within the river basin in large quantities, which has important implications for flooding and navigation problems. We suggest here that off-site erosional impacts ultimately be dependent upon creating a different and more balanced rate of sediment buildup within stream and river systems in the United States. Ideally this would effect a reduction in the amount of sediment currently stored until a more natural balance is reached.

Keywords: soil erosion, conservation, soil loss tolerance, sediment

Room – State
3:00 – 3:20 pm Living on the land: Educating small acreage owners about nonpoint source pollution prevention, Susan Donalson

3:20 – 3:40 pm Optimizing placement of practices to intercept nutrients in a tiled-drained agricultural watershed, Mark Tomer, USDA-ARS/NSTL

3:40 – 4:00 pm Impact of dairy herd size on per hectare N,P, and K accumulations: A mass balance approach, Kevin Erb, University of Wisconsin Extension NPM

4:00 – 4:20 pm Competition for land to spread manure under changing water-quality guidelines, Marcel Aillery, USDA-ERS

4:20 – 4:40 pm Stream monitoring to estimate nitrogen and phosphorus loads, Claire Baffaut, Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, University of Missouri-Columbia

4:40 – 5:00 pm Livestock environmental management systems, Lyn Kirschner, CTIC

Living on the land: Educating small acreage owners about nonpoint source pollution prevention
Donaldson, S.
Corresponding author: Susan Donaldson
PO Box 11130, Reno, NV 89520
Phone: 775-784-4848 Fax: 775-784-4881
Email: donaldsons@unce.unr.edu

Throughout the West, population dynamics are changing. As communities grow, land at urban fringes is being rezoned from large, agricultural enterprises to smaller, 1 to 40+ acre parcels. This growing audience of small acreage owners often is not well versed in land management practices for water quality protection. Many are professionals working in urban areas without prior experience in agricultural land and resource management who are hungry for information that will allow them to maintain their rural quality of life. At the same time, this pattern of land development has the potential to greatly impact water resources via increases in impervious surface, poor manure management, improper irrigation water management, and more.

With funding from the SARE Professional Development Program, professionals from eight western states including CA, OR, WA, UT, ID, NV, MT and CO teamed together to create a curriculum specifically aimed at the small acreage “lifestyle”: the property owner who has purchased a small acreage property not as a source of annual income, but as a way of life. The team developed a series of five modules plus an instructor’s guide. The modules address: 1) goal setting and property inventory; 2) soil properties and management and irrigation water management; 3) an introduction to water quality, protecting household drinking water, and evaluating and protecting watersheds, streams, and riparian areas; 4) forage production, weed control, and pasture renovation; and 5) animal management, avoiding animal impacts, and grazing system design. This presentation will provide an introduction to using the “Living on the Land” curriculum for small acreage programming.

Keywords: small acreage, nonpoint source pollution, land management, curriculum

Optimizing placement of practices to intercept nutrients in a tiled-drained agricultural watershed
Tomer, M.D. and D.E. James
Corresponding author: Mark D. Tomer
National Soil Tilth Laboratory, USDA-ARS, 2150 Pammel Dr, Ames IA 50011
Phone: 515-294-0213 Fax: 515-294-8125
Email: tomer@nstl.gov

Nutrients carried from agricultural lands in surface waters and tile drains are raising significant environmental concerns. While in-field agricultural practices can be implemented to reduce these nutrient losses, complementary practices that enhance nutrient-removal processes within riparian ecosystems are also being advocated and supported using public subsidies. Riparian buffers and constructed wetlands are the dominant examples of these practices; riparian buffers can intercept surface water runoff, but constructed wetlands are needed to intercept and treat tile drainage. Can the placement of these practices be optimized within a given watershed? We are developing a strategy to identify stream reaches where these practices can be most effective at treating flows. The Tipton Creek watershed, a 20,000 ha catchment in north-central Iowa, is being used as a case study. Hydrologic modeling of digital elevation data is helping us to identify where the best opportunities to intercept surface runoff waters exist along the channel network. In carrying out the analysis, stream reaches must be classified so that buffer placement is prioritized for stream reaches where overland flow is likely to enter the stream as distributed flows. Also, we are identifying those sites that should meet established criteria for selection of sites for Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) wetlands in Iowa, which are aimed to treat tile-drainage waters. Results are being presented to local groups and agency personnel, who will help recruit landowners to establish these practices in sensitive areas for improved water quality.

Keywords: Best Management Practices, riparian buffers, constructed wetlands, water quality management, digital terrain modeling

Impact of dairy herd size on per hectare N, P and K accumulations: A mass balance approach
Erb, K. and K. Fermanich
Corresponding author: Kevin Erb
UW Extension NPM, 1150 S Bellevue St, Green Bay WI 54302
Phone: 920-391-4652 Fax: 920-391-4617
Email: kevin.erb@ces.uwex.edu

A mass balance of 13 dairy farms, ranging in herd size from 50 to 500 head and 4 cash grain operations was conducted in the Lower Fox River Basin (Wisconsin) over a two year period to determine the per-hectare loading rate of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium on farms in the basin. The mass balance included both the economic nutrient export was calculated and an estimate of environmental phosphorus losses.

The mass balance showed an average of 98 kg/ha nitrogen accumulation, 17 kg/ha phosphorus accumulation and 90 kg/ha potassium accumulation on dairy farms. Cash grain accumulation rates were -10, 3, and 26 kg/ha, respectively. The mass balance showed differences in cow populations did not change per hectare phosphorus accumulations. Potassium accumulations increased as herd size and acreage increased.

Eleven of the 13 dairy farms had already implemented nitrogen based nutrient management plans. The study indicates phosphorus accumulations could be reduced by more than 90% by implementing a number of additional management practices, including switching to lower phosphorus protein supplements, growing rather than purchasing protein sources, reducing the amount of phosphorus in the dairy ration and reallocating manure across the farm to fields with the greatest phosphorus need.

Keywords: mass balance, dairy, dairy manure, phosphorus, nonpoint source, TMDL

Competition for land to spread manure under changing water-quality guidelines
Aillery, M., N. Gollehon, M. Ribaudo, V. Breneman, and J. Agapoff
Corresponding author: Marcel Aillery
USDA-ERS, 1800 M St NW Rm S-4037, Washington, DC 20036-5831
Phone: 202-694-5511 Fax: 202-694-5775
Email: maillery@ers.usda.gov

Increasing public attention has focused on the concentration of livestock waste and resulting potential impacts on water quality, aquatic resources, and public health. In 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Agriculture issued joint guidelines for management of livestock waste from confined animal feeding operations (EPA/USDA Joint Unified Strategy, 1999). Proposed policies could have significant impacts in areas with substantial concentrations of confined livestock production, including portions of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

A regional model is applied to the Chesapeake Bay region to examine potential manure-nutrient flows and costs to the animal sector resulting from implementation of alternative manure-management policies. Primary policy focus is on land application of recoverable manure-nutrients at agronomic rates. The model is designed to capture the critical dimension of competition for land among animal producers under both nitrogen and phosphorus-based nutrient standards. Analysis addresses the effect on hauling costs of landowner willingness to accept manure, and incentives to increase landowner acceptance.

The modeling framework combines farm-level confined animal data from the 1997 Census of Agriculture (Gollehon and others, 2001) with Geographic Information System (GIS) farmland coverages. Census data were used to generate county-level measures of livestock operations, manure production, excess recoverable manure, manure-nutrient content, and assimilative capacity of manure-nutrients. Distance functions for manure hauling were developed in the GIS for incounty and across-county transfers, reflecting spatial distribution of manure sources and location and density of farmland. Use of national Census data and GIS-coverages facilitates model update and transferability to other regions.

Keywords: water-quality, animal manure, Chesapeake Bay watershed, confined animals, spatial allocation model, cost minimization, manure nutrients, farmland assimilative capacity

Stream monitoring to estimate nitrogen and phosphorus loads
Baffaut, C., B. Perkins, J. Jones, and J. Cameron
Corresponding author: Claire Baffaut
Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, University of Missouri – Columbia, 101 South Fifth Street, Columbia, MO 65201
Phone: 573-882-1251 Fax: 573-884-4688
Email: baffautc@missouri.edu

Excessive nutrient and bacteria loading in streams and lakes is a water quality issue across the United States—nitrogen and bacteria because of their health impact; phosphorus because it is often the limiting nutrient involved in the eutrophication of surface waters. Because of limited funds and equipment, annual loadings are often estimated from weekly or monthly grab samples.

In agricultural watersheds, nutrients and bacteria are transported to the stream by surface and subsurface flow, either in dissolved form or adsorbed to moving soil particles. Since these movements occur during runoff events, there is concern that the concentrations values in grab samples collected on a weekly or monthly basis are not sufficient to determine the pollutant loads in a stream. This type of sampling tends to represent well ambient conditions but misrepresents storm event conditions characterized by important runoff. The Hinkson Creek daily data in Columbia, Missouri, show that the annual total phosphorus and nitrogen loads estimated from weekly samples are underestimated by 75% and 35%, respectively, compared to loads estimated from daily samples. In the Shoal Creek watershed, monitoring data include weekly grab samples as well as samples collected automatically with an ISCO sampler at the outlet of a 172-km2 drainage area. These samples are analyzed for total and dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus, and bacteria. Flows are monitored on a continuous basis. This study estimates and compares pollutant loads obtained with weekly samples and ISCO samples. Differences and percentages error are assessed on an event, monthly, and annual basis.

Keywords: water quality, nutrient, load estimation, coliform, runoff events, watershed, monitoring, non point source pollution

Livestock environmental management systems
Kirschner, L.T. and G.W. Jackson
Corresponding author: Lyn T. Kirschner
303 Hiram Smith Hall, 1545 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608-265-2772 Fax: 608-265-2775
Email: lkirschner@facstaff.wisc.edu

Across the United States and abroad, innovative producers, processors, trade organizations and others in the agricultural sector are exploring the promise of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) to improve their environmental and business performance.

An Environmental Management System or EMS helps farmers develop their own, personal strategies for reducing environmental risk on their operations by integrating environmental management considerations into production management decisions. It is a voluntary, flexible approach and is based on a producer's own sense of how to best manage an operation.

Partnerships for Livestock Environmental Management Assessment Systems, is a four-year project to explore the potential of agricultural Environmental Management Systems to resolve community and regulatory concerns by supporting the development of strategies to reduce impacts of livestock manure on the environment and public health.

This project organizes a support system for livestock producers to positively address environmental and community health concerns through partnerships between agricultural organizations and public agencies. The project goal is to develop and evaluate environmental assessment and decision-support aids with which livestock producers can address local priority water and air quality issues.

In general, this four-year project:

starts with stakeholder input through roundtable discussion of supportive strategies for reducing impacts of livestock manure on the environment and public health;

works with three commodity organizations to develop, pilot test and evaluate environmental management assessment system materials and delivery approaches in nine states (Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin);

ends with a review and evaluation of results with stakeholders and policy makers, to identify the future roles and the support needed for agricultural environmental management systems.

This project is funded through a USDA Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS) Grant, and additionally is supported by the Environmental Protection Agency Nonpoint Source Control Branch, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Keywords: environmental management, nonpoint source, environmental risk, reducing impacts

3:20 – 3:40 pm The Lower Musconetcong Water Quality Incentive Program in New Jersey, Brian Aldrich

3:40 – 4:00 pm Holistic assessment of the Shoal Creek watershed, Claire Baffaut, Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, University of Missouri-Columbia

4:00 – 4:20 pm Using a watershed assessment in managing nonpoint source pollution, Doug Bahl, USDA-NRCS

4:20 – 4:40 pm Big Walnut Creek watershed runoff reduction and monitoring project, Dan Binder, Water Quality Assurance Lab

4:40 – 5:00 pm Selenium sources in the Uncompahgre Valley of Western Colorado—relationship of irrigated to unirrigated soils, Juli Fahy, Bureau of Reclamation

Stiff-stemmed grass hedges planted in rows within a field offer an opportunity for effective erosion control at a reasonable cost. The objective of this research was to evaluate the erosion control effectiveness of grass hedges in a typical field setting. The research was conducted on a 5.6-ha watershed located in the deep loess hills region of western Iowa. Collection of runoff and sediment yield data was initiated in 1975 at the watershed outlet. In 1992, narrow rows of grass hedges were planted at 15.4-m intervals to accommodate 16 rows of corn. A linear regression was developed between annual sediment yield and annual surface runoff for the 1975 through 1991 period and used to estimate annual sediment yields for the 1992 through 1999 period. Total estimated sediment yield for the 1992-1999 period was 209 Mg/ha compared to 75 Mg/ha that was actually measured, a reduction of 64%. Our results show the usefulness of stiff-stemmed grass hedges in reducing sediment yield from row-cropped watersheds.

Keywords: erosion control, nonpoint source pollution, Switchgrass, Best Management Practices

The Lower Musconetcong Water Quality Incentive Program in New Jersey
Aldrich, B., E. Chamberlain, D. Drewes, S. Eck-Jones, K. Holmstrom, J. Ingerson-Mahar, G. Jones, F. Kelly, D. Kluchinski, P. Nitzsche, J. Stutzman, and W. Tietjen
Corresponding author: Brian Aldrich (using e-mail address of Dan Jones)
96 Main St, Hampton, NJ 08827
Phone: 908-537-7609 Fax: 908-852-4666
Email: djones@nj.nrcs.usda.gov

An educational outreach program to promote adoption of Integrated Crop Management in the Musconetcong watershed was begun in 1995, as a collaborative effort between the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil Conservation Districts, Farm Service Agency, North Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Council, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, and private consultants. The goal of the program was to reduce nonpoint source agricultural pollutants in an environmentally and economically sound manner. Incentive payments for conservation and management practices were made available by a special USDA grant for a Water Quality Incentive Program in the Musconetcong watershed. Two companion grants administered by the New Jersey Dept. of Agriculture leveraged Section 319 funds from the New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection to hire an agricultural outreach specialist to help implement and coordinate this inter-agency effort. By Y2000 soil testing had been done on 6,300 acres operated by 28 farmers. Nitrogen use was reduced by 22 tons, phosphate by 46 tons, and potash reduced by 74 tons, at a total savings of $51,400 to the farmers. The collaborative approach helped agencies to learn more about each other’s programs and reduced the duplication of services. Improved coordination made the many different programs less confusing for the farmers, making it easier for them to enroll and adopt practices.

Keywords: water quality incentive program, integrated crop management, nonpoint source pollution, nitrogen, phosphorus, conservation practices, inter-agency collaboration

Holistic assessment of the Shoal Creek watershed
Benson, V.W. and E. Schmid
Corresponding author: Claire Baffaut
Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute, University of Missouri – Columbia, 101 South Fifth St, Columbia, MO 65201.
Phone: 573-882-1251 Fax: 573-884-4688
Email: baffautc@missouri.edu

The Food and Agricultural Policy Institute (FAPRI) of the University of Missouri is leading a cooperative effort of University of Missouri cooperators, state and federal agencies, and others in a holistic environmental and economic assessment of Shoal Creek watershed above Clear Creek. Because Shoal Creek is listed as an impaired stream because of bacterial levels, the assessment addresses environmental issues using a combination of process-based computer simulation models (the Agricultural Policy Environmental Extender [APEX] and Soil and Water Assessment Tool [SWAT]), water quality monitoring, and DNA source tracking. It uses farm and regional level economic models to address economic issues.

The Upper Shoal Creek watershed is modeled with the SWAT model. Data from previous 319 and SALT projects was used to calibrate the model. The watershed is currently being monitored on a weekly basis to determine nutrient and bacteria loadings. A subset of the samples analyzed for fecal coliform and e.coli are being analyzed using DNA tracking methodologies to determine the most likely sources.

Three representative farm panels of beef producers, dairymen, and broiler growers have been established to assess both environmental and economic impacts of management alternatives at the farm level. APEX and the Farm Level Income and Policy Simulation (FLIPSIM) model are used to assess the environmental and economic impacts, respectively. Finally, a regional input/output model is being developed for 10 counties in southwestern Missouri to evaluate the agricultural, urban, and recreational economic impacts of the alternatives considered to reduce bacterial loadings to acceptable levels.

Keywords: watershed, non point source pollution, water quality, economics, monitoring, bacteria, modeling, holistic

Big Walnut Creek watershed runoff reduction and monitoring project
Binder, D., L. Ufferman, N. Preston, and R. Shamblen
Corresponding author: Dan Binder
Water Quality Assurance Lab, 910 Dublin Rd, Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: 614-645-3716 Fax: 614-645-3816
Email: dmbinder@cmhmetro.net

The Upper Big Walnut watershed is located in the eastern Corn-Belt region of central Ohio. The main stem of the Big Walnut Creek flows approximately 75 miles from north to south draining parts of 5 counties prior to joining the Scioto River south of Columbus. A major feature of this waterway system is the Hoover reservoir, retaining source water for 580,000 Columbus drinking water users. Row crop agriculture including corn, soybeans, and wheat are the primary land uses.

Columbus water quality monitoring for agriculturally used herbicides pre-dates the Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. During the late 1980's extreme rainfall increased atrazine in the reservoir to 3-4 the proposed atrazine maximum contaminant level of 3 ug/L. The Division of Water engaged the primary manufacturer of atrazine in a collaborative study of the probability of future elevated runoff occurrence. The purpose was to determine the need for corrective action to control atrazine in drinking water.

The probability of re-occurrence was significant and Columbus began to plan for water treatment capability. In addition, working with the Ohio Farm Bureau and the local Soil and Water Conservation Districts a project was initiated to involve agricultural producers in determining a solution to the atrazine runoff problem.

Within three years a powdered activated carbon (PAC) facility was designed and built at the water treatment facility. PAC is a BMP to reduce organic compounds in water. At the same time meetings began to describe the Columbus situation to the agriculture partners in the watershed. Presentations on drinking water supply atrazine occurrence were given to educate the farm community on issues affecting downstreams users. State legislature support was garnered and a watershed coordinator was hired under two-year contract to the primary SWCD in the watershed. During the last three years management practices have been established utilizing EQIP program dollars and local work group input. Recently the Big Walnut project has identified additional opportunities to protect the watershed water resources by improving waterway protection in the riparian corridor. CREP funding has been requested and a program of easement purchases has begun. The presentation will describe 15 years of herbicide monitoring data and show effectiveness of the previously described project.

Keywords: atrazine, drinking water, EQIP, CREP

Selenium sources in the Uncompahgre Valley of Western Colorado: Relationship of irrigated to nonirrigated soils
Fahy, J. and J. Brummer
Corresponding author: Juli Fahy
Land Suitability and Water Quality Group - D-8570, Bureau of Reclamation, PO Box 25007, Denver, Co. 80225
Phone: 303-445-2187 Fax: 303-445-6351
Email: jfahy@do.usbr.gov

The soils and source rocks of the Uncompahgre Valley in western Colorado supply large amounts of selenium to the upper Colorado River Basin and downstream reservoirs. The major source of this selenium is the east side of the valley where the soils are primarily residual and alluvial material derived from the Cretaceous Mancos Shale. Selenium levels, both total and soluble, are naturally high, even for western soils. Several tile-drained fields that have been irrigated for varying numbers of years have been studied to characterize selenium contributions to the surface water drainages. Similar nonirrigated soils were also characterized to evaluate their potential contribution should they be irrigated or developed in the future, and to understand the leaching process occurring in the irrigated fields.

Though the total selenium may not vary greatly between irrigated and nonirrigated soils, laboratory tests have indicated the potential for leaching selenium from the nonirrigated soils is many times higher than from soils that have been irrigated for long periods of time. Leaching characteristics of the nonirrigated soils indicate that large flushes of selenium may be removed in the first few pore volumes that pass through the material. Should these nonirrigated lands be brought into use by either new irrigation or development that requires the addition of water such as lawns, golf courses, leach fields, etc., increases in the selenium loading may be expected in surface drainages. Irrigated soils still produce significant amounts of selenium in the drain water but appear to stabilize after several years of irrigation.

Keywords: selenium, Uncompahgre, Mancos, leaching characteristics, non-irrigated

Room – Chamber
3:00 – 3:20 pm The nature and extent of NPS pollution related to forest management activities in Southern states, John M. Grace, US-FS

3:20 – 3:40 pm Spatial distribution of onsite wastewater treatment systems: Failure and environmental impact, Heidi Stout, Purdue University

3:40 – 4:00 pm The role of soil in successful proper functioning onsite wastewater soil absorption systems, Randall Miles, University of Missouri-Columbia

4:00 – 4:20 pm Formative evaluation of water quality communication channels in information and education programs, Garrett O’Keefe, Colorado State University

4:20 – 4:40 pm Impact analysis of farmers’ economic and environmental preferences in an agricultural watershed, Zeyuan Qiu, New Jersey Institute of Technology

4:40 – 5:00 pm Assessing soil erosion rates on volcanic soils under intensive vegetable production in New Zealand, Craig Ross, Landcare Research New Zealand Limited

The nature and extent of NPS pollution related to forest management activities in southern states
Grace III, J.M. and C. Berry
Corresponding author: John M. Grace III
USDA Forest Service, 520 Devall Dr, Auburn, AL 36830
Phone: 334-826-8700 Fax: 334-821-0037
Email: jmgrace@fs.fed.us

Southern forests are the most intensively managed forestlands in the world and production account for as much as 60 percent of U.S. production. Intensive forest management utilizes forest operations, such as site preparation, fertilization, thinning, and harvesting, to increase site productivity and reduce rotation time. Forest operations are essential to meet the ever-increasing demands for timber products. Forest operations are tools used by forest managers in an attempt to manage the nation's forestlands for multiple uses while maintaining or improving the resource quality. Forest operations, as with any human intervention into natural systems, can impact ecological processes and future conditions. Forest operations can influence nonpoint source pollution (NPS) by upsetting natural processes that maintain water quality. In recent years, NPS has been identified as perhaps the greatest threat to the nation's water quality. Forest management activities have been identified as activities influencing NPS pollution in the South. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the nature and extent of NPS pollution attributed to the forest operations, specifically harvesting, s