Winter Manure Application

Transcription

1 Winter Manure Application Developing Best Management Practices to Minimize the Water Quality Impacts for Winter Manure Application Nathan Brandenburg, Graduate Student, Agric. Biosyst. Engrg. SDSU Jeppe Kjaersgaard, South Dakota Water Resources Institute, SDSU Dennis Todey, South Dakota State Climatology Office, SDSU Ron Gelderman, Plant Science, SDSU Dave German, ret.

2 Winter Manure Application SD DENR - winter spreading restrictions in nutrient management plans NRCS - discourages manure spreading on frozen soils Past research has shown mixed results of water quality impacts of manure spreading on frozen ground Advantages of Winter Manure Spreading Less storage space required More time during spring season for other jobs Less ground compaction Disadvantages of Winter Manure Spreading Nutrient losses in runoff Incorporation into the ground not possible

3 Project goals Minimize the water quality impacts of winter manure spreading: - Assess the water quality impacts when spreading manure on frozen ground - Compare impact due to timing and location on the field - Develop a climate risk factor (snow cover, rainfall, frost) - Provide education on winter manure spreading BMPs to producers, extension educators, resource managers etc.

4 Project Location

5 Methods for Goal #1 Goal 1: Assess the water quality impacts when spreading manure on frozen ground 1.5 ft H-Flume Stevens Type F Stage Recorder ISCO Automatic Water Sampler Water Quality Testing: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Suspended Solids

6 Methods for Goal #1 Water exiting the south flume.

7 Methods for Goal #2 Goal 2: Compare impact due to timing and location on the field 3 Watersheds South WS acres North WS acres East WS acres 3 Treatments South WS: manure application on highest 50% North WS: manure application on lowest 50% East WS: no manure application (control)

8 Where should we put the manure? when spreading during winter to minimize water quality problems High ground Low ground Snow

9 Study Area Manure Application South: Manure applied on highest 50 % - North: Manure applied on lowest 50 % - East: No manure (control) No Manure North Manure Elevations Manure South No Manure South North East

10 Methods for Goal #2 Manure applied on March 4-5, Manure applied at a rate of 18 tons/acre.

11 Methods for Goal #3 Goal 3: Develop a climate risk factor (snow cover, rainfall, frost) Tipping bucket and manual rain gauges (2 locations) Soil moisture and temperature sensors (3 depths) (5 locations) Use information from SD Climate Office weather stations in Dell Rapids and Brookings

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13 Methods for Goal #4 Goal 4: Provide education on winter manure spreading BMPs to producers, extension educators, resource managers etc. MS thesis Poster Presentations Eastern South Dakota Water Conference United States Committee on Irrigation and Drainage Conference Study and results presented and discussed at crop clinics, meetings, conferences and workshops Annual Report to SD DENR and supporting organizations Peer Reviewed Paper

14 First Year Discoveries Two runoff events where runoff occurred on each watershed Snow Melt Event March 15-20, samples Rainfall Event July 10-14, samples

15 Runoff Analysis North (6.7 East (6.8 Acres) Acres) Volumes ft³ ft³ 3/15/ /16/ /17/ /18/ /19/ /20/ Total *South volume was not collect due to an equipment malfunction. **Due to freezing conditions volumes are only an estimate.

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17 Runoff Analysis South (10.2 East (6.8 Acres) Acres) Volumes ft³ ft³ 7/10/ /11/ /12/ /13/ /14/ /15/ Total

18 North- Manure Lowest 50% Runoff Concentrations South- Manure Highest 50% East- No Manure

19 Nutrient Losses North- Manure Lowest 50% South- Manure Highest 50% East- No Manure

20 Sediment Losses North- Manure Lowest 50% South- Manure Highest 50% East- No Manure

21 Improvements for 2012 Better winterization Heating elements for freezing conditions (heat tape) Game camera to capture images from runoff events, and web cam to stream live images from field to campus Install guide boards to prevent water flowing between watersheds E. Coli sampling and testing

22 Acknowledgements Funding sources: EPA 319 Grant East Dakota Water Development District South Dakota Farm Bureau South Dakota Agric. Experimental Station South Dakota Water Resources Institute This work would not have been possible without the help and support from collaborating landowners, individuals and organizations

23 Spreading zone identification using GPS Manure Questions? Spreader Manure after spreading