Symposia Sessions

Topic: Agricultural Management and Environmental Quality, Room - Wabasha II & III, Conservation implications of a changing climate, Organizer - Jim Bruce, SWCS Canadian Representative, Moderator - Sarah Workman, University of Florida.

High intensity rains and extreme temperatures - observed and projected trends - Jim Bruce, SWCS Canadian Representative, Erosion implications of increased rain intensities - Mark Nearing, USDA-ARS, Climate change and water quality - Jerry Hatfield, USDA-ARS, Streamflow trends in the USA - Steven Mauget, USDA-ARS, Panel discussion: Adaptation actions needed - adjustments in erosion control and water management - Jim Bruce, SWCS Canadian Representative; Mark Nearing and Jerry Hatfield, USDA-ARS

Description - This session will update conference participants on the growing evidence of the increased frequency of heavy rains and high temperatures in a changing climate. These observed trends are expected to continue. They have important implications for soil erosion, water quantities, and water quality. These impacts will be examined along with proposals for policies and programs needed to adapt to the changing conditions.

Topic: Assessing the Effectiveness of Conservation and Environmental Programs, Room - Kellogg I, Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) - Status of the national assessment, Organizer - Robert Kellogg, USDA-NRCS, Moderator - Carl Myers, U.S. EPA

Opening remarks - Wayne Maresch, USDA-NRCS, Overview of the national assessment: Status and plans - Robert Kellogg, USDA-NRCS, Estimating on-site benefits of conservation practices for cropland and CRP for national reporting - Robert Kellogg, USDA-NRCS, Estimating off-site water quality benefits of conservation practices for cropland and CRP for national reporting - Jeff Arnold, USDA-ARS, Plans for estimating benefits of conservation practices for wildlife - Charlie Rewa, USDA-NRCS

Description - The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have joined together, in collaboration with other Federal agencies, to initiate the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) to quantify the environmental benefits of conservation practices implemented under the 2002 Farm Bill. The national assessment component of this project will track the accumulation of benefits over time for annual reporting beginning in 2005. The purpose of these two symposia is to provide an overview of the national assessment approach with examples of how the benefits will be measured for cropland, including CRP. Examples will be based on preliminary results derived from the 2003 CEAP farmer survey conducted in 2003 at about 10,000 NRI sample points. Specific presentations will address: 1) an overview of the national component of CEAP, 2) results from the 2003 CEAP farmer survey, 3) EPIC/APEX results on soil loss, nutrient loss, and soil quality, 4) plans for estimating instream-concentrations of sediment and nutrients associated with agricultural activities using HUMUS, and 5) plans for estimating wildlife benefits associated with cropland.

Room - Wabasha I & II, Technical Service Provider Implementation - Part I Organizer – Gary Gross and Sylvia Gillen, USDA-NRCS, Moderator - Sylvia Gillen, USDA-NRCS

NRCS lessons learned from first year implementation experience - Paul Flynn, USDA-NRCS

Description - The sessions will cover current issues and perspectives of implementing the Technical Service Provider provision of the 2002 Farm Bill. These perspectives will be presented from three vantage points: 1) the agency, 2) mid- to large-size TSP firms, and 3) individual TSP. Topics will include certification, training, acquisition of technical services, delivery of technical services, payment rates, e-government, technical references, liability, progress reporting, quality assurance, funding and other related issues.

Concurrent Sessions

Topic: Agricultural Management and Environmental Quality, Governors II, Environmental management systems

This session will provide a description of environmental management systems (EMS) and discuss their application to animal feeding operations and use of biosolids in sustainable agriculture. Moderator: Mike Jawson, USDA-ARS

10:30 – 10:50 a.m. Environmental management systems applied on NY dairy farms - Peter Wright and Lee Telega, Cornell University

10:50 – 11:10 a.m. USU Extension's Agriculture Environmental Management Systems program - John Harrison, Dallen Smith, and Aditya Toney, Utah State University

11:10 – 11:30 a.m. The role of biosolids in sustainable agriculture - Lynne Moss, Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc.

Environmental management systems applied on NY dairy farms, Peter Wright and Lee Telega, Cornell University

An environmental management system (EMS) is designed to identify practices that pose risks to human health and the environment and develop a plan to reduce those risks. Dairy businesses of the future will need to use this tool to help them recognize, prioritize, implement, document, and evaluate their impacts on the environment. A dairy business may benefit from this process by increasing market opportunities, controlling costs of regulations, controlling costs of production as well as reducing environmental risks. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized the value of this process in other industries and is encouraging agriculture to adopt it as well.

This paper explains the components of an EMS as described by the International Organization for Standardization (IOS) 14001 standard and compares them with both the traditional Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) planning process and the Agricultural Environmental Management process adopted by New York State. The paper describes the portions most applicable to dairy farms, and the tools developed for its use on dairy farms. This work was part of a larger process to pilot EMS plans in nine other states over a four-year period. The support mechanisms that will encourage producers to adopt an EMS will be identified.

USU Extension’s Agriculture Environmental Management Systems program, John Harrison, Dallen Smith, and Aditya Toney, Utah State University

This program seeks to integrate environmental management systems into Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO). The methods and tool developed by this program assist owner/operators in focusing on continual improvement of their operation's interactions with air, water and land resources. Utah CAFO operators are realizing the benefits of effective environmental management by using a systematic approach to planning, controlling, measuring and improving their environmental effort. These operators envision the potential for significant improvements and cost savings that will be achieved by improving the operations management processes. They understand the crucial point is that not all environmental problems need to be solved by installing expensive pollution control equipment.

All participating CAFO operations have accomplished the following: identified the environmental aspects of each operation; developed AEMS environmental policy statements; conducted gap analyses to determine which environmental aspects are significant; and developed a means of setting environmental objectives and targets.

The program web site, http://aems.aste.usu.edu/, is a multifacted information, education and co-development knowledge repository. It contains information to those in the agriculture industry and an enterprise information system that provides the livestock and poultry industry with efficient, accurate access to the latest information about manure management methods and tools. The Agriculture Environmental Management Information System (AEMIS) is a decision support tool that allows data sharing over the Internet and cooperator co-development of queries and documents in support of the Agriculture Environmental Management System process. The AEMIS helps users organize information and find alternatives for setting objectives, determining actions, and reviewing options and evaluations.

The role of biosolids in sustainable agriculture, Lynne Moss, Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc.

For many years, sludges from wastewater treatment plants were landfilled or discharged into the ocean. Today, the majority of these materials are treated to remove pathogens and applied to agricultural fields. The land application of treated sludges (biosolids) solves the issue of how to manage solids generated at wastewater treatment plants but, more importantly, research and experience now demonstrate how recycling the nutrients and organics in these materials can play a critical role in sustainable agriculture. Specifically, biosolids have been shown to: improve soil structure; reduce erosion potential; reduce soil bulk density; increase water retention; and increase cation exchange capacity of soils. Through these improvements and the addition of primary, secondary and micronutients, biosolids can improve both soil properties and, ultimately, its productivity.

Additionally, both voluntary programs, such as the National Biosolids Partnership’s Environmental Management System (EMS), and regulatory requirements ensure that the environmental benefits of biosolids are optimized while minimizing environmental risk. All biosolids are required to meet standards that protect both public health and the environment, and many biosolids programs must meet specified land management practices intended to meet those same goals. For example, some states require farm conservation plans for areas receiving biosolids. And adherence to conservation principles is a key component of the EMS program currently being rolled out across the nation.

This presentation highlights research on biosolids as an agricultural amendment, and discusses the multiple mechanisms in place – and available to conservation planners – to ensure that the full benefit of these products can be realized.

Topic: Assessing the Effectiveness of Conservation and Environmental Programs, State II, Scales of Effective Measurement

This concurrent session will focus on three case studies of stream hydrology and geomorphologic change as related to conservation policy. Sediment transport plays a large part of landscape change and the effects of conservation and human activity are the theme of this session. Is there a stopping point in the continuum of changing landscape?, Moderator: Jerry Bernard, USDA-NRCS

10:30 – 10:50 a.m. Predicting bedload and suspended sediment export in low-order Lake Superior watersheds - Debra Taylor, Colleen Elonen, Terri Jicha, and Leroy Anderson, U.S. EPA

10:50 – 11:10 a.m. Sediment budget for the Whitewater River Watershed, southeastern Minnesota - Bill Thompson, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; Bill Lorenzen, Bob Bird, and Vic Ruhland, USDA-NRCS

11:10 – 11:30 a.m. Documenting hydrologic changes in Seven Mile Creek Watershed using historic air photos and GIS - Kevin Kuehner, Brown Nicollet Cottonwood Water Quality Board

Predicting bedload and suspended sediment export in low-order Lake Superior watersheds, Debra Taylor, Colleen Elonen, Terri Jicha, and Leroy Anderson, U.S. EPA

Bedload samples were collected from 48 second and third order Lake Superior tributaries during snowmelt in 1998 and 1999. Suspended sediment samples were collected over a three-year period during baseflow, rain events, and snowmelt. This work was part of a comparative watershed study evaluating the effects of hydrogeomorphic region, and instream, riparian, and watershed features on stream water quality, habitat, and biota. To explain differences in sediment export Rosgen's hierarchical stream type classification system was introduced as an integrator of stream geomorphological characteristics such as bedrock geology, width to depth ratio, entrenchment, and channel slope. Rosgen stream types and stream power accounted for 71 per cent of the variation in bedload mass exported. Bedload increased with decreasing forest canopy over the stream and with decreased in-stream woody debris. Bedload also increased with increasing watershed area and increasing stream bank erosion. Suspended sediment results suggest that suspended sediment export increased with greater proportions of fine sediments in the streambeds, and with increased discharge, bank erosion, and watershed land uses such as agriculture, recent logging, and road/stream intersection density. Rosgen stream types proved useful for partitioning natural and human-caused sources of sediment export. Overall, bedload appears to be power-limited, while suspended sediment is more supply-limited. Abstract does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.

Sediment budget for the Whitewater River Watershed, southeastern Minnesota, Bill Thompson, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; Bill Lorenzen, Bob Bird, and Vic Ruhland, USDA-NRCS

A general sediment budget was developed for the 205,000-acre Whitewater River Watershed, located in Southeastern Minnesota. Erosion estimates were developed for sheet and rill erosion using the AgNPS methodology. Streambank erosion estimates were developed from field surveys and stream channel considerations. Gully erosion estimates were compiled from field staff reports. Historical cross-sections of the river valleys, initially conducted by Stafford Happ of the ARS in the 1930s and then again in the 1960s, were resurveyed by NRCS staff in 1993. These sedimentation ranges provide a context for flood plain deposition and channel changes over a period of 60 years. Results of the sediment budgeting process show that overall soil erosion amounts to about 666,000 tons annually. In relative order of contribution are: sheet and rill erosion (68%), streambank erosion (21%), classic gully erosion (8%), and ephemeral gully erosion (3%), About 11% of the total gross erosion is yielded at the watershed outlet at Weaver Bottoms on the Mississippi River.

The importance of understanding stream geomorphology and sediment transport issues will be discussed, in reference to current efforts to improve land and water resources in the Whitewater River drainage. The use of physical stream survey data and river valley cross sections will be presented as important measurements to use in the assessment of stream quality and watershed health. Future potential applications of the sediment budget method used in this watershed will be considered.

Documenting hydrologic changes in Seven Mile Creek Watershed using historic air photos and GIS, Kevin Kuehner, Brown Nicollet Cottonwood Water Quality Board

The study’s objective was to document hydrologic changes in a small South-Central Minnesota watershed and how those changes relate to conservation policy and water quality. Over 130 historic aerial photographs from seven different periods dating back to 1938 were rectified for use in a Geographic Information System. Results from the study indicate significant hydrologic changes have occurred in the watershed within the past 50 years. Major changes include cropping system shifts, stream channelization, construction of agricultural drainage systems, and a 35% reduction in wetlands. Normalized for time period, the largest change occurred from 1955-1961. During this period 2,053 acres of wetlands were converted to cropland within the watershed. The third period with the most significant amount of change occurred between 2002 and 2003. In one year, 130 acres of cropland were converted back to wetland and native grasses. Federal conservation programs combined with private grants and efforts by a Clean Water Partnership to help restore wetlands for water quality are primary contributors for this increase. Documenting hydrologic changes can serve as a valuable tool to help watershed managers communicate wetland values to local policy makers and watershed residents, justify restoration efforts to address water quality and habitat degradation issues, and to help target and maximize future restoration efforts.

Topic: Geo-spatial Technology for Conservation – Soil, Water, and Land, State III, New tools for the practicing conservationist

Papers in this session will present innovative geo-spatial ideas and tools being currently used and evaluated by practitioners in different parts of the country. Moderator: Mark Tomer, USDA-ARS

10:30 – 10:50 a.m. The Finger Lakes Decision Support System Project: Analytical tools for stakeholders - David Carr, Cayuga Community College

10:50 – 11:10 a.m. Getting conservation on the land using GIS - Leon Wendte and Sharyl Walker, USDA-NRCS

11:10 – 11:30 a.m. Landscape assessments: Addressing objectives across boundaries - Gary Bentrup, Todd Kellerman, Mike Dosskey, and Michele Schoeneberger, U.S. Forest Service; Gary Wells, USDA-NRCS

The Finger Lakes Decision Support System Project: Analytical tools for stakeholders, David Carr, Cayuga Community College

Successfully conveying information to a diverse constituency is the foundation for making effective and well informed decisions. However, there are commonly many stakeholders for a given area, such as a watershed, making effective decision-making a complex task. The need for common, multi-jurisdictional tools to help mitigate this situation is clear. Under a NASA funded initiative, the IAGT is engaged in an effort to develop a Web-based system that integrates 2D and 3D interactive geospatial visualization and analysis technology to enhance information sharing and decision support for watershed management and beyond.

The prototype study area for the project focuses on the Owasco Lake Watershed in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. The area is rich in agricultural and environmental resources and enjoys a strong tourism industry. Forming a framework for the project are these focus areas: surface/groundwater interaction; viewshed analysis and open space conservation; agricultural conservation. Utilizing the technology to compare and contrast these characteristics through a taxonomic ranking is a primary goal of the project. The proof of concept will be to use the resulting localized environmentally sensitive areas in conjunction with probability of growth models to reveal those areas that should be conserved or carefully managed for future wise growth. Additionally, tools for better understanding regulatory issues, clear visualizations of the geo-spatial data and other parameters are planned for development in the system. The resulting prototype decision support system is envisioned to be a common resource where stakeholders with diverse backgrounds can review a wide variety of regional and local characteristics, and perform mapping and analysis tasks that will aid in wise decision making.

Getting conservation on the land using GIS, Leon Wendte and Sharyl Walker, USDA-NRCS

New programs, new practices, new rules, more customers, fewer practicing conservationists—doing more with less while maintaining high quality. What’s a practicing conservationist to do? This presentation describes practical examples of using geo-spatial technology at a field office level to increase quality and quantity of conservation practices applied on the land.

It summarizes the success of one conservation team’s effort to integrate GIS into day to day operations. It describes one sequence of GIS layer development that could be adopted for almost any county or watershed area working on a shoestring budget. Examples are given to show how each new data layer developed incrementally increases efficiency, productivity, and effectiveness of getting conservation practices on the land. The process is a four to five year investment, but keeping the vision of the ultimate integration of GIS into daily operations of the modern field office will pay big dividends for the practicing conservationist.

Landscape assessments: Addressing objectives across boundaries, Gary Bentrup, Todd Kellerman, Mike Dosskey, and Michele Schoeneberger, U.S. Forest Service; Gary Wells, USDA-NRCS

Natural resource professionals have the challenge of planning and implementing conservation practices to address diverse landowner and community objectives (e.g., wildlife habitat, water quality, aesthetics, and income diversification). Many of these issues disregard property boundaries and cannot be adequately solved by conservation practices that do not take into account the larger landscape setting. To effectively plan and manage for these objectives requires a holistic landscape-scale strategy. Landscape assessments developed using GIS provide the necessary framework to efficiently guide comprehensive planning efforts. As part of a Comprehensive Conservation Planning Project being developed by the USDA National Agroforestry Center, three GIS-guided landscape assessments addressing water quality, wildlife habitat, and income diversification objectives will be presented. These examples will demonstrate the value of landscape assessments in locating conservation practices to treat agricultural runoff, improve riparian connectivity for wildlife, and provide agroforestry specialty products. Guidelines for generating these simple but effective assessment tools using available data will be discussed. By combining these and other landscape assessments, sites can be identified where environmental protection and agricultural production goals can be simultaneously attained across boundaries, enhancing the acceptance and long-term adoption of conservation practices.

Topic: Agricultural Management and Environmental Quality, Governors I, Scoring systems for conservation programs

This session will feature approaches to funding allocations and ranking processes in conservation programs on working lands. Moderator: Mark Liebig, USDA-ARS

10:30 – 10:50 a.m. A case study of EQIP Scoring Systems in three southeastern states. Can we see the desired effect? – Wes Standish and Robin Kloot, University of South Carolina; Curt Hobbs, Anthony Burns, and Bill Hughes, USDA-NRCS

10:50 – 11:10 a.m. Designing and scoring working land programs - Robert Johansson, USDA-ERS

11:10 – 11:30 a.m. Improving NRCS EQIP allocation and ranking: More bang for the buck - Ralph Heimlich, Agricultural Conservation Economics; Suzy Friedman and Tim Searchinger, Environmental Defense

11:30 – 11:50 a.m. An analysis of farm-level factors influencing conservation practice adoption and conservation program participation in the United States - Carmen Sandretto and Ashok Mishra, USDA-ERS

A case study of EQIP Scoring Systems in three southeastern states. Can we see the desired effect?, Wes Standish and Robin Kloot, University of South Carolina; Curt Hobbs, Anthony Burns, and Georgia Hughes, USDA-NRCS

In fiscal year (FY) 2003, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in South Carolina collaborated with the Earth Sciences and Resources Institute at the University of South Carolina (ESRI-USC) to develop a web-based application called the EQIP-for the Web^TM to manage ranking and funding for the USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). In FY 2004, the NRCS in the states of Alabama and Georgia participated in further development of this application. Two issues prompted a significant redesign of EQIP-for-the-Web^TM, they were: (1) comments and recommendations by Environmental Defense on the increased efficacy of the EQIP program on a National level and (2) the advent of ProTracts, a National system designed to assist the NRCS in contract and fund management. As a result, EQIP-for-the-Web^TM moved from a practice-driven to a resource concern-driven scoring system, and the funding management was dropped from the system's functions in deference to the ProTracts system. This paper focuses on the application and funding data gathered in the two years of the EQIP-for-the-Web^TM operation, and whether the change from a practice-driven to a resource concern-driven scoring system changed the funding applications and funding distributions. In addition, funding applications and distributions, based on different scoring systems in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina are compared. Finally, the paper discusses the benefits and drawbacks of web-based technology and how the drawbacks may be addressed in future years.

Designing and scoring working land programs, Robert Johansson, USDA-ERS

The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 brings a sweeping change in the focus of agri-environmental policy: funding for conservation has been augmented by 80 percent and a majority of this increase is directed towards conservation efforts on working lands. The environmental benefits that will be provided by working land programs (WLPs) are likely to come at a lower cost than those derived from land retirement since land will remain in production. The order of magnitude of these benefits is still unknown, but if one considers the broad base represented by all agricultural operations (both crop and livestock producers), the impact could be considerable. While the potential benefits of WLPs may be large, realizing these benefits poses considerable challenges. Compared to land retirement programs, WLPs will fund a broad range of practices, complicating their incentive designs and evaluation of their environmental impacts across different producer types and regions. We simulate several types of WLPs (practice-based and performance-based programs) to encourage U.S. crop producers to improve their environmental performance. In order to compare these programs in terms of cost-effectiveness, we use historical data from the Conservation Reserve Program and from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to provide a means to aggregate environmental benefits across diverse environmental attributes. Results indicate the performance-based programs may improve enviornmental performance of active cropland by a significantly greater degree than practice-based programs. However, performance-based programs may also result in higher food prices and lower consumer welfare (excepting environmental benefits) than might practice-based programs.

Improving NRCS EQIP allocation and ranking: More bang for the buck, Ralph Heimlich, Agricultural Conservation Economics; Suzy Friedman and Tim Searchinger, Environmental Defense

The EQIP rule specifies five factors states should consider to successfully allocate their program funds and rank applications. State NRCS offices need to improve how final rule requirements are incorporated into their EQIP funding allocations and ranking processes. Even using a liberal interpretation of the five criteria, few states seem to be incorporating these factors. Most state ranking systems don’t incorporate factors to optimize the environmental benefits of the program required in the final rule. Resource concerns are considered most by the states, but only one state is considering all five criteria. Of the 14 states that substitute statewide ranking for allocation, half consider only national priorities and difficulty in meeting environmental laws in their ranking schemes. The cost-effectiveness of the proposed conservation practices is only considered explicitly in 15 states, but only one state considers the ratio of environmental benefits evaluated to costs. Only six states award points for longer-lived practices, another approach to getting more cost-effective practices. States have only made progress in two of the nine areas for improvement identified in a previous analysis conducted by Environmental Defense. While some states have made great strides in making their allocation and ranking systems meet the rule requirements, many others need to make improvements before the next round of funding in 2004. The paper concludes with a list of “BMPs” recommended for EQIP allocation and ranking.

An analysis of farm-level factors influencing conservation practice adoption and conservation program participation in the United States, Carmen Sandretto and Ashok Mishra, USDA-ERS

Recent Farm Bill provisions have placed greater emphasis on a variety of conservation programs to help establish sustainable production systems and reduce the environmental impacts associated with farming activities. It is widely recognized that these agricultural conservation programs will help to protect millions of acres from soil erosion, enhance water and air quality, and promote wetland and wildlife habitat protection and restoration. The 2002 Farm Bill substantially increased funding levels for these conservation programs. However, their environmental benefits cannot be realized unless appropriate conservation measures are implemented effectively at the farm-level. An improved understanding of the interrelationships between economic factors and farm operator/household characteristics that are associated with selected conservation practice adoption (land management practices covered under EQIP, etc.) and specific conservation program (CRP, CREP, WRP, GRP, etc.) participation will be required. This information will be useful in informing policy makers, extension workers, and others working with farmers in efforts to develop incentives to encourage voluntary adoption of recommended conservation measures to mitigate the potential damage from agricultural production activities on the environment.

Monday, July 26, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.

Symposia Sessions

Topic: Assessing the Effectiveness of Conservation and Environmental Programs, Kellogg I, Assessment of the effectiveness of conservation practices, including agency perspectives and watershed case studies, Organizer and Moderator - Warren Busscher, USDA-ARS

Overview of ARS involvement in CEAP - Mark Weltz, USDA-ARS, The Canadian perspective of conservation effectiveness - Brook Harker, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Competitive funding support for CEAP - Iris Goodman, U.S. EPA, ARS watershed assessment studies: An introduction and overview - Michael Burkhart, USDA-ARS

Description - This will be the fifth joint symposium for SWCS and the Soil Science Society of America. The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) is a U.S. national assessment of environmental benefits of conservation programs to support policy decision and program implementation. The symposium focuses the goals and status of CEAP and its sources of funding. Some researchers will present their results on posters as part of a facilitated discussion.

Affiliated Posters –

--Potential CEAP activities on the Upper Leon River Watershed, Ken Potter, USDA-ARS

--An approach for assessing the impact of conservation management practices on source water quality in Upper Big Walnut Creek Watershed, K.W. King and N.R. Fausey, USAD-ARS

--Optimizing selection and placement of BMPs: The Town Brook Watershed contribution to CEAP-WAS, M.W. Gitau, W.J. Gburek, and T.L. Veith, USDA-ARS

--The Iowa River's South Fork watershed: Terrain, land use, and water quality, M.D. Tomer, M.R. Burkart, D.E. James, K.J. Cole, C.M. Greenan, and C.H. Green, USDA-ARS

--Quantifying conservation effects in Upper Washita River (OK) sub-watersheds, J.L. Steiner, M Van Liew, P Starks, J. Daniel, M. Ramming, and S. Phillips, USDA-ARS; K. Matlock, R. Freeland, and J. Adams, USDA-NRCS

--Assessing the effects of fertilizer management practices on water quality in Walnut Creek, Iowa, Dan Jaynes, USDA-ARS

--Cooperative approach for improving surface water quality at the St. Joseph River Watershed, Chi-Hua Huang, USDA-ARS

--The Mark Twain/Salt River Conservation Effects Assessment Project: Multi-scale wate quality assessment in a surface runoff dominated basin, R.N. Lerch, E.J. Sadler, and E.E. Alberts, USDA-ARS

--Conservation management assessments in the Mississippi Delta: Beasley Lake and related research, Martin Locke, USDA-ARS

--Goodwin Creek Experimental Watershed, assessment of conservation and environmental effect, R.A. Kuhnle, C.V. Alonso, R.L. Bingner, A. Simon, and F.D. Shields, USDA-ARS

Technical Service Provider Implementation - Part II, Wabasha I & II, Organizer – Gary Gross and Sylvia Gillen, USDA-NRCS, Moderator - Sylvia Gillen, USDA-NRCS

Limited liability corporation lessons learned from first year operational experience - Earl Dodson, Environmental Management Solutions, LLC, Individual TSP lessons learned from first year operational experience - Glen Borgerding, Ag Resource Consulting, Inc.

Description - The sessions will cover current issues and perspectives of implementing the Technical Service Provider provision of the 2002 Farm Bill. These perspectives will be presented from three vantage points: 1) the agency, 2) mid- to large-size TSP firms, and 3) individual TSP. Topics will include certification, training, acquisition of technical services, delivery of technical services, payment rates, e-government, technical references, liability, progress reporting, quality assurance, funding and other related issues.

Topic Assessing the Effectiveness of Conservation and Environmental Programs, Kellogg II, Is NRCS EQIPped to get the most from EQIP? Analysis of state allocation and ranking procedures, Organizer - Ralph Heimlich, Agricultural Conservation Economics, Moderator - Rick Swenson, USDA-NRCS

Environmental Defense's interaction with the EQIP rule and its implementation - Suzy Friedman, Center for Conservation Incentives at Environmental Defense, BMPs and model templates for EQIP ranking - Ralph Heimlich, Agricultural Conservation Economics, Practical considerations in implementing a state ranking process - Donald Gohmert, USDA-NRCS, EQIP ranking from the producer perspective - Dave Petty, Iowa River Ranch and Iowa Cattlemen's Association

Moderated discussion with presenters and audience:

State templates versus local "tweaking"

How to incorporate quantitative assessments in ranking

Estimating improvements for ranking

Using performance matrices for ranking

Description - This symposium presents Environmental Defense's analyses of USDA's implementation of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) rule requirements for allocating funds to resource concerns or areas and ranking applications for funding. While some states have made great strides, few states are incorporating all factors. Principles or "BMPs" for ranking that incorporate all requirements of the rule and fairly rank the range of applications from small and large producers are presented as well as tensions between uniform approaches and local tailoring, and between comprehensive assessment and ease of administration.

Topic: Soil and Environmental Quality, Wabasha II & III, Finding common ground on soil quality - balancing benefits with pitfalls, Organizer - Robert Sojka, USDA-ARS, Moderator - Jorge Delgado, USDA-ARS

Pros and cons as seen by a soil quality proponent - Doug Karlen, USDA-ARS, Pros and cons as seen by a soil quality skeptic - Robert Sojka, USDA-ARS, Pros and cons evaluated from a long term case study - Michael Singer, University of California-Davis

Description - The soil quality concept resonates with farmers and action agencies but is controversial among soil scientists. Spokespersons for the spectrum of viewpoints are gathered to acknowledge both the benefits and pitfalls of the concept. Both are needed to serve the common goals of sound science, protecting the soil resource and the environment, and emphasizing excellent soil management.

Concurrent Sessions

Topic: Assessing the Effectiveness of Conservation and Environmental Programs, Governors II, Adoption and Integration of Conservation with the Environment

Conservation, preservation and the urbanization of our nations farming resources is the theme of these four presentations. Federal and state policies have benefical and adverse impacts on our nation's farming industry and the behavior of the community. What is the best policy for a rural community?, Moderator: Anthony Kramer, USDA-NRCS

1:30 – 1:50 p.m. Development of the Dakota County Farmland and Natural Area Program - Al Singer and Kurt Chatfield, Dakota County; Rick Hansen, Minnesota Department of Agriculture

1:50 – 2:10 p.m. Archaeological sites, soils, and landforms: Friends or foes? - Patrick McLoughlin, USDA-NRCS

2:10 – 2:30 p.m. Farmland preservation: Innovative approaches in Ontario - Wayne Caldwell and Stewart Hilts, University of Guelph

Development of the Dakota County Farmland and Natural Area Program, Al Singer and Kurt Chatfield, Dakota County; Rick Hansen, Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Dakota County, located at the confluence of three of the state's four main rivers, is one of the seven counties comprising the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan Region. Although most of the 374,000 residents reside in the northern suburbs, it is still mostly rural. However, the county has seen a 29% population increase in the last decade and the growth is expected to continue. In 1999 the county embarked upon a comprehensive effort to protect high quality farmland and natural areas. Using a new land cover classification system and existing GIS data, a detailed inventory of the county's natural resources was compiled. An extensive citizen awareness and advisory process helped develop priority areas. A grass roots citizen effort then led to the successful passage of a $20 million bond referendum in November 2002 to protect the highest quality areas still remaining. Program criteria and guidelines were adopted by the County Board of Commissioners in June, 2003 and land protection projects are now underway.

This presentation will provide insights into the key elements of developing and implementing a land protection program that involves a range of rural and rapidly urbanizing landscapes.

Assessing the effects of farmer cohort groups on the adoption and management of conservation, Paul Ray, USDA-NRCS

Federal efforts to control diffuse sources of pollution from agricultural operations have historically involved a voluntary, cost-share driven policy approach. Despite 70 years of conservation efforts and billions of dollars in expenditure, agricultural nonpoint source pollution remains the prime source of water quality impairment in many watersheds in the United States. This paper will discuss an effort to assess the impact of close knit farmer cohort groups (farmer-to-farmer) in enhancing the decsion making process towards adoption of conservation and the eventual intensity of management of the conservation systems.

Archaeological sites, soils, and landforms: Friends or foes?, Patrick McLoughlin, USDA-NRCS

The presentation will look at the relationship between archaeological site location, soil type, and landforms across the different eco-regions of the state. This information will then be analyzed within the context of NRCS practice installation. In essence, by examining the types of practices being installed and looking at where they are being installed on the landscape, can we predict the probability of encountering archaeological sites.

Farmland preservation: Innovative approaches in Ontario, Wayne Caldwell and Stewart Hilts, University of Guelph

The growth of Canadian cities has often been at the expense of the country's best farmland. While planning has attempted to guide development, some would argue, it has failed to adequately protect the agricultural land base. The Canadian experience in this context is mixed. While approaches in Quebec and British Columbia are often cited for their aggressive approach to farmland preservation, the consumption of farmland countinues here and elsewhere.

This presentation will provide an overview of patterns of farmland loss from across Canada but will focus on two initiatives in Ontario. The authors will present 2 actions that flow directly out of their research. They will review their experience establishing a farmland trust in Ontario sharing lessons that may be applicable elsewhere in the country. They will also present additional options for farmland preservation, drawing upon comparative analysis of approaches used in the United States and Canada.

This presentation will be of interest to participants who have an interest in the preservation of farmland in either Canada or the United States.

Topic: Soil and Environmental Quality, State II, Tillage and Soil Organic Matter Management for Sustaining Land Resources

Tillage intensity, crop rotation, and utilization of compost are important soil management practices that influence the long-term sustainability of our world's soil, water, air, and human resources. This session will examine how tillage-induced erosion affected soil resources in Canada, how tillage and crop rotation affected aggregate stability and related soil quality indicators in the U.S. Northern Great Plains, and how compost affect nutrient cycling and other soil quality indicators in Guam, Moderator: Joni Franklin, USDA-NRCS

1:30 – 1:50 p.m. Measurement of tillage translocation and modeling tillage erosion in southwest Manitoba, Canada - Sheng Li and David Lobb, University of Manitoba; Michael Lindstrom, USDA-ARS

1:50 – 2:10 p.m. Aggregate stability and associated properties of soil under "new management" in eastern South Dakota - Joseph Pikul, Jr., Jane Johnson, Michael Ellsbury, Sara Wright, and TheCan Caesar, USDA-ARS

2:10 – 2:30 p.m. Use of compost as alternative to synthetic fertilizers for ag productivity/sustainability on Guam - Margaret Denney, M.H. Golabi, and C. Iyekar, University of Guam

Measurement of tillage translocation and modeling tillage erosion in southwest Manitoba, Canada, Sheng Li and David Lobb, University of Manitoba; Michael Lindstrom, USDA-ARS

Tillage erosion is the redistribution of soil within a landscape caused directly by tillage. There is a growing recognition that tillage erosion is a major contributor to the total soil erosion that occurs on cultivated land and, therefore, can affect a variety of biophysical processes within landscapes, such as pesticide fate and greenhouse gas emissions. To measure the soil movement by tillage, dyed stone chips were placed into the soil in plots. The distribution of these plot-tracers after tillage was used to calculate tillage translocation. In 2003, a total of 70 plots were established at a field site located near Deerwood, southwest of Winnipeg, to examine tillage translocation caused by 3 different tillage implements, air drill seeder, spring-tooth harrow and deep tiller. Plots were located over a range of topographic conditions and using a range of tillage directions to calibrate a model of tillage erosion. This model was used to predict tillage erosion for the whole field.

Aggregate stability and associated properties of soil under “new management” in eastern South Dakota, Joseph Pikul, Jr., Jane Johnson, Michael Ellsbury, Sara Wright, and TheCan Caesar, USDA-ARS

Soil organic matter (SOM) is an important soil quality attribute. Objectives were to determine effect of management on components of SOM and stability of soil aggregates. Associated soil properties include glomalin, humic acid, carbon (C), and particulate soil organic matter (POM). Measurements were made on soil from four sites, each representing a recent change in management. At Site One, we compared soil properties in a corn-soybean rotation under no tillage (NT) and chisel plow tillage. Measurements at Site Two compare the effect of three levels of corn stover removal on soil properties under NT. At Site Three, we compared soil properties of five crop rotations under NT. Measurements at Site Four compare soil properties in native pasture to that under corn soybean. About 10 kg of soil from the top 5 cm was collected from three to four locations (randomized plots or pseudo-plots within farm fields) at each site. A rotary sieve was used to separate soil into aggregate groups. Group one was soil <0.4 mm, group two was 0.4-0.8 mm, group three was 0.8-2.0 mm, group four was 2.0-6.0 mm, group five was 6.0-19.0 mm, and group six was >19.0 mm. Water stability of aggregates was used to identify effect of management on soil slaking. We found: 1) SOM was not uniformly distributed among aggregate groups; 2) improved soil aggregation under no tillage; 3) greater soil C under NT compared with tillage; and 4) POM to be a sensitive indicator of stable aggregation.

Use of compost as alternative to synthetic fertilizers for ag productivity/sustainability on Guam, Margaret Denney, M.H. Golabi, and C. Iyekar, University of Guam

Soil organic matter (SOM) is probably the most important indicator of soil quality. It is both a source and a sink of plant nutrients, promotes the formation of soil aggregates, thereby influencing soil physical properties and soil moisture, and is an energy source for soil microbes and macrofauna. The negative environmental impacts of the use of synthetic fertilizers dictate a need for improved management of SOM for a sustainable land use system on Guam. In this study, composted organic material was applied on agricultural fields as an alternative to commercial fertilizers to provide nutrients, to enhance the organic matter content, and improve the physical and chemical properties of the cultivated soils. The composted organic matter (COM), consisting of hog, chicken and horse manure, fish feed, shredded paper, and wood chips from typhoon debris, is applied at rates of 0, 30, 60 and 120 tons per acre. Such application of COM as a fertilizer source not only provides essential nutrients to plants, but improves soil quality as well, while effectively disposing of wastes. The goal of this specific research project is to improve soil fertility by applying composted organic wastes and assessing the long-term effects of nitrogen and other essential nutrients on soil fertility and crop productivity without the addition of synthetic fertilizers. Corn is planted and monitored for growth performance and yield. In this presentation, the methodology, as well as up-to-date data will be presented to illustrate the effect of land application of composted organic wastes on organic matter content and other soil quality indices.

Topic: Agricultural Management and Environmental Quality, State III, Watershed scale projects for water quality protection

The session features watershed scale programs to reduce nutrient and pathogen movement to surface and ground water. These investigations took place in Florida, Minnesota and West Virginia, Moderator: Dale Bucks, USDA-ARS

1:30 – 1:50 p.m. Voluntary and regulatory approaches to reducing phosphorus discharges to Lake Okeechobee - Gary Ritter, South Florida Water Management District; John Folks, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

1:50 – 2:10 p.m. The North Fork, "A model watershed project" - Thomas Basden and Matt Monroe, West Virginia University; Ken Haid, USDA-NRCS; Gretchen Creman, West Virginia Conservation Agency

2:10 – 2:30 p.m. Lessons from 29 years of the Rosemount Sewage Sludge Project - Thomas Halbach, University of Minnesota

Voluntary and regulatory approaches to reducing phosphorus discharges to Lake Okeechobee, Gary Ritter, South Florida Water Management District; John Folks, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Many voluntary and regulatory phosphorus abatement programs have been implemented independently in the Lake Okeechobee watershed during the past 20 years with varying degrees of success in reducing phosphorus loads to the Lake. Lake Okeechobee is the central component of the Kissimmee River, Lake Okeechobee, and Everglades ecosystem located in south central Florida. The lake has been the subject of much study due in part to anthropogenic inputs of phosphorus from agricultural and urban growth around the Lake and throughout the lower east coast of Florida. Increases in phosphorus loads have resulted in the acceleration in the eutrophication of Lake Okeechobee. The inability to meet phosphorus loading targets to the Lake can be attributed to a need for more incentive based financial and technical assistance necessary to encourage public participation.

Voluntary programs alone were minimally successful in reducing phosphorus loads to Lake Okeechobee and abandoned during the 1990's for a stricter regulatory approach requiring landowners to obtain concentration discharge permits and implement additional best management practices ( BMPs). This regulatory approach resulted in minor phosphorus reductions and created anxiousness on the part of the permitted public to meet mandated discharge standards. After a decade of regulations, phosphorus loads had reached a high of 600 metric tons a year resulting in steady increases in the lake phosphorus concentrations. As a consequence the 2000 Lake Okeechobee legislation mandated a combination of incentive based voluntary programs and a refinement in existing regulatory programs coupled with regional treatment alternatives to reduce phosphorus loads to Lake Okeechobee to the state Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) limit of 140 metric tons.

The North Fork, "A model watershed project", Thomas Basden and Matt Monroe, West Virginia University; Ken Haid, USDA-NRCS; Gretchen Creman, West Virginia Conservation Agency

Situation: A USGS reconnaissance -level water quality study was conducted during 1994-1995 in the Headwaters of the South Branch Potomac River Basin, West Virginia. Water samples showed fecal coliform as a problem within the North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac. A TMDL was developed which called for