The Tree. In 2017, the Discovery Farms Programs in Wisconsin. Since 2015, the Discovery Farms nitrogen use

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1 The Tree The UW Discovery Farms Program Newsletter March 2018 Special Edition: Farmer s Voice UW Discovery Farms is closing out multiple project areas, and just getting started in others. This year s Farmer s Voice shares farmers experiences with three different Discovery Farms Projects including tile monitoring, nitrogen use efficiency, and watershed projects, and ends with a word from our new steering committee chair. Wisconsin and Minnesota farms host tile monitoring Roger Toquam of Dodge County, MN Richard Olson of Door County, WI In 2017, the Discovery Farms Programs in Wisconsin and Minnesota began monitoring water quality from tile drains. With 24 sites in each state, the goal of this extensive project is to find ways to reduce sediment and nutrient loss to tile drains, as well as determine if there is a relationship between soil health and tile water quality. This project would not be possible without the cooperation of excellent farmer participants. Here are two of their stories and reasons why they are involved in Discovery Farms tile monitoring. Toquam Family Farm Dodge County, MN I am Roger Toquam. I farm with my wife, our three sons and our three daughters-in-law. Together we operate a corn and soybean farm in Dodge County, Minnesota. My sons represent the fifth generation of Toquams to farm this land. Our farm was honored to receive the Dodge County Conservation award for outstanding conservationists and also was recently certified by INSIDE continued on page 2 Wisconsin and Minnesota farms host tile monitoring... 1, 2 Connecting farmers to understand and improve nitrogen decisions... 1, 3, 4 Five watershed farmers, three lessons learned... 5, 6 Regional farmer meeting dates announced... 6 Meet our steering committee chair... 7 The Toquam Family Connecting farmers to understand and improve nitrogen decisions Messages were provided by participants in the nitrogen use efficiency project and were compiled by Abby Augarten Since 2015, the Discovery Farms nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) project has conducted assessments on Wisconsin farms to establish benchmarks for Wisconsin specific farming systems and to assist farmers in their N management. Five regions have been included in these assessments to determine how NUE can evaluate a field s efficiency relative to nearby farms and how to improve NUE using different nitrogen management techniques. continued on page 3

2 Wisconsin and Minnesota... continued from page 1 the MAWQCP (Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program) from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. We have always had livestock on our farm; my grandfather milked cows and my father had a farrowto-finish hog operation. We now custom finish roughly 10,000 hogs a year for a family-owned Minnesota integrator. The manure from our two hog finishing barns along with the manure we purchase from three other hog farms is used as a fertilizer source, which lowers our overall fertilizer costs and improves our corn and soybean yields. Soil conservation has always been important to our family; my grandfather Clifford was a charter board member of the local county Soil & Water Conservation District, and my father quit full width tillage in 1979 and switched to ridge till, which we still implement today. The soils on our farm are heavy and black and do not naturally drain very well. In order for our farm to reach its full potential, our land was pattern tiled with wheel machines and most recently tile plows were used. Tile is an essential part of why the land in my part of the world is as productive as it is. My goal with being a part of the Discovery Farm tile monitoring project is to continue to learn as much as we can about our soils and how our farming practices effect any nutrients or sediment that may be discharged from the tile. Tile is critical to us and so is clean water, so we are excited about learning what we can. Olson Family Farms Door County, WI I m Richard Olson of Olson Family Farms. Our farm is a fifth generation dairy/crop farm located in southern Door County, Wisconsin. It is operated by myself, my brother, Eric, and Eric s wife, Julaine. The farm is home to 155 registered Holsteins. We have milked 60 cows, utilizing robot milking technology, since December Prior to that, we milked 100 cows in a tie-stall barn. Realizing that the rest of our farm was built to accommodate 100 cows, it would have been necessary to change many other aspects to go to two robots and milk 120 cows. Downsizing just made sense for us. if there is a better way of applying nutrients to prevent losses and improve water quality, we want to use it. Frozen tile outlets were a common sight for Discovery Farms staff this winter. 2 The Olson Family Besides milking cows, we crop 1,050 acres. We grow alfalfa, corn, winter wheat, green beans, and red beets. We are fortunate to be in a part of Door County that has deep soil and benefits from having drainage tile in place. One unique aspect of the farm is that it is near Lake Michigan, and it is often ten degrees cooler than inland areas. The cows really appreciate it in summer. However, it makes baling dry hay a challenge. We are participating in the Discovery Farms tile monitoring project for two reasons. First, to learn and understand what is coming out of the tile in the way of nutrient loss and water quality. We have always felt tiling has been a great benefit to being able to get on the land sooner in spring and after rains, as well as eliminating wet spots in fields. Secondly, if there is a better way of applying nutrients to prevent losses and improve water quality, we want to use it. By having the opportunity to see the results on our own land we will know what can be achieved. Although there are no certainties, it is the hope that a next generation will join and continue at Olson Family Farms. My wife Shelly and I have two children, Matt and Claire. At this point they have other career interests. Eric and Julaine s three children, Zach, Luke and Anna, will all be in high school this fall. Our farm is not expansion-minded; rather, we pride ourselves in doing the best quality of farming at our present size.

3 Connecting farmers... continued from page 1 We asked a few NUE farmer participants to share their experience and lessons learned so far from the project. Don Niles Kewaunee County Tony Peirick Dodge County Brian Maliszewski Trempealeau County Don is a dairy farmer and has been involved with the NUE Project since He serves as the president of Peninsula Pride Farms, a producerled watershed initiative which works in collaboration to achieve the goal of clean, safe water and a thriving agricultural community. Tony is a dairy farmer and has participated in the NUE Project since its launch in He has been an integral part in the Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil and Healthy Water group, and enjoys holding cover crop demonstrations on his farm. Brian owns a feeder cattle and crop operation in the Elk Creek Watershed. Brian is the chairman of the Buffalo Trempealeau Farmer Network, a farmer-led watershed group. Brian has been participating in the NUE project since Niles, Peirick and Maliszewski all expressed how this project is a great opportunity for farmers to demonstrate and enhance their efforts to improve N management, protect water quality and increase their stewardship of the land. Peirick writes, By conducting research on our farms, Discovery Farms has helped us as farmers to improve our bottom line. Discovery Farms is the link between farmers and non-farmers to better tell our story of what farmers are doing to improve the environment. By combining our individual data the NUE project has been a very valuable tool to Peninsula Pride Farms to help us design best management practices for our land. The NUE project operates in regional clusters to standardize regional benchmarks for efficiency values, promote collaboration among farmers, and provide an environment where farmers can learn from one another. Niles writes, By combining our individual data the NUE project has been a very valuable tool to Peninsula Pride Farms to help us design best management practices for our land. Maliszewski adds, Everyone in the Elk Creek Watershed group manages their farms differently, so I find it important to feed off of everyone s information and to have UW Discovery Farms to make sense of it all. Not only is this research beneficial for my operation continued on page 4 Tony Peirick talks about Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil and Healthy Water. 3

4 Connecting farmers... continued from page 3 but for our environment, neighbors, public, and other agricultural groups. Farmers evaluate what contributes to their NUE, including regional or field specificities, soil type, weather conditions, and existing farm and nitrogen management practices. Niles says, The information we receive gives us insights into different farming practices related to nitrogen loss in a field, practices such as higher nitrogen rates and failure to credit amendments properly. Maliszewski uses his cattle manure, as well as purchased dairy and chicken manure, to amend his soil. This variety of sources makes manure management especially challenging. Like Maliszewski, many participants in this project use manure. NUE has been a useful tool in assessing how to better manage multiple sources of N to improve economic efficiency and decrease the risk of N loss. Another thing that Maliszewski hopes to gain from the project is an understanding of the correlation between cover crops as well as the uptake of nutrients, and the use of commercial fertilizers. This interest in soil health, cover crops, and tillage practices and how these management decisions relate to NUE and N management is very common within the project. Some participants, including Peirick have established cover crop trials and demonstration plots which Discovery Farms has monitored for NUE to begin to understand some of these relationships. Maliszewski enthusiastically listed some of the questions that he hopes to gain insight from the NUE project including How do I get more yield with less? and Can organic matter from cover crops improve the use and efficiency of commercial fertilizers? he concludes: these questions do not have answers Not only is this research beneficial for my operation but for our environment, neighbors, public, and other agricultural groups. Brian Maliszewski discusses cover crop possibilities with Joe Bragger. yet but will. Each new finding brings another new question, but we are excited to have such wonderful partners in this exploration. Farmer-led research conducted on farm fields under realistic conditions has enabled us to create a dataset of Wisconsin specific NUE values. In 2018 we will continue to expand this dataset and produce new educational materials to assist farmers in implementing NUE trials on their own fields, develop new project areas and partnerships, and identify new questions. Tom Novak, another Discovery Farms NUE participant, explains his reasons for split applying nitrogen to a crowd of 190 farmers, crop consultants, and agency personnel at the 6th Annual UW Discovery Farms Conference. 4

5 Five watershed farmers, three lessons learned Excerpts from watershed farmer interviews compiled by Callie Herron For seven years UW Discovery Farms has worked with dozens of farmers in the Jersey Valley and Dry Run watersheds. Throughout our time in Vernon/Monroe and St. Croix counties we have monitored edge-of-field, stream, and lake water quality; assisted with nutrient management planning; conducted whole farm walkovers; assessed nitrogen use efficiency; and offered numerous events to share project results and set the stage for farmer-to-farmer learning. As our formal projects wrap up in the watersheds (water quality monitoring ended last fall) we have conducted a series of interviews with farmers who have taken part in the projects. Throughout these interviews several common themes appeared. Below are excerpts from five interviews to highlight these themes from the voice of the participating farmers. Pick the when and where of manure spreading wisely. Monitoring gave us hard evidence, like it or not. Most of our runoff comes from the spring melt so we are definitely thinking twice about putting anything out there in late fall or on frozen ground, because it needs a chance to work into the ground. We have quit spreading manure on hillsides during winter months. When winter spreading is necessary, we consider timing and avoid highly erodible land. Cover crops, try them. Try adding cover crops after corn silage. This practice might just be the step you need in the next phase of soil building on your farm. You just might get hooked after experiencing less weed competition to start the year off, more green ground time, and the benefits of erosion control. Also, consider leaving alfalfa for a fourth year and then cutting off a first crop. In September, drill rye and harvest it the following spring for forage and directly plant corn into that ground. We have found this to be the economic and environmental win-win we re always after. UW Discovery Farms has worked with farmers in the Jersey Valley and Dry Run Watersheds for seven years. Continue learning and connecting. Protecting water resources is a group effort. Why participate in something like the Discovery Farms watershed project? To be a part of the solution not part of the problem. I believe it will take a unified effort by all producers to protect our waterways. Ask yourself: What kind of results are we getting from the conservation practices we are implementing? Is this how we really want to be doing this? Learn from continued on page 6 Discovery Farms has hosted 20+ events in the Jersey Valley and Dry Run Watersheds. continued on page 6 5

6 Five watershed farmers... continued from page 5 other farmers. If I can talk directly to another farmer or go to their farm and see a practice that works in action, it makes me realize that if it works for him, maybe that would work for me too. Discovery Farms field days gather area farmers. Everyone at Discovery Farms would like to thank the farmers who contributed to this article as well as all the Jersey Valley and Dry Run watershed farmers who learned along with us over the past seven years. We are honored to consider you all a part of the Discovery Farms family. For more information from farmer interviews read Improving water quality knowledge through a focus on partnership: A University of Wisconsin Discovery Farms case study published in the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. Regional meeting dates announced! Join UW Discovery Farms in project areas around the state to hear results from multiple years of research. At each meeting, we will discuss regional results related to the following topics: Nitrogen Use Efficiency Three years of Nitrogen Use Efficiency data collection has been completed in multiple regions of Wisconsin. Abby Augarten, Nitrogen Use Efficiency Coordinator will present results from the project and lead a discussion on how Nitrogen Use Efficiency data can be used to evaluate environmental and economic efficiency of corn production. Soil Health As part of the Nitrogen Use Efficiency Project, soil samples from participating farms were put through a soil health assessment. Get the first look at these cutting edge results and dive into the soil health discussion with Greg Richardson, UW-Madison Soil Science and Agroecology graduate student. Water Quality UW Discovery Farms is Wisconsin s unbiased source for water quality research. Amber Radatz, UW Discovery Farms Co-Director will present regional surface runoff monitoring results with messages on how farming practices impact runoff. March 20 St. Croix County UW-Extension Office th Avenue Baldwin, WI 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm March 21 Cashton Community Center 811 Main Street Cashton, WI 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm March 22 Jefferson County UW-Extension Office 864 Collins Road Jefferson, WI 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm For more details, visit our website Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. A light meal will be provided, RSVP by 3/15, call or erica.olson@ces.uwex.edu. 6

7 Meet our steering committee chair Terry Quam, steering committee chair Hello from Lodi, Wisconsin and Marda Angus Farms! Along with my wife, mother and three children we run 1,000 acres of cropland and 180 head of Angus cattle. I am a 1978 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and have used my degree to advance our herd and the state s beef industry. At Marda Angus Farms, our mission is to produce Angus that meet the needs of purebred and commercial producers across the country. All the crops we raise have a purpose as a cash crop and a feed source for the cattle operation. Our goal is to blend the environment, economics, and the best management practices for both enterprises. I became active with UW Discovery Farms through the Wisconsin Cattlemen s Association (WCA) by serving as the board liaison. Serving as the legislative chair for WCA, all environmental issues affecting cattlemen on the local, state and national level come across my desk. It was very easy to see the value in the UW Discovery Farms Program. The value of UW Discovery Farms quickly became apparent to me. The research is invaluable in helping me discuss issues with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Department of Natural Resources, and the legislature. The aspect that intrigues me most about Discovery Farms is that the research is farmer-led and the outcome is not predetermined. As an agricultural group, we look at what the science tells us and if there is a problem we find the solution by using that same science. Terry Quam and his family The aspect that intrigues me most about Discovery Farms is that the research is farmer-led and the outcome is not predetermined. Marda farms grazes rye cover crop fields in the spring before no-till drilling corn silage into the rye stubble. Terry says pasture management is one key to their successful operation. My devotion to passing my farm onto the fifth generation of my family pairs hand-in-hand with my role as the Lodi Agricultural Fair President. Passing our heritage on to the next generation of agriculturists becomes increasingly important as people choose to leave production agriculture. I look forward to serving Wisconsin s agriculture industry through this opportunity with UW Discovery Farms. 7

8 University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Trempealeau County Discovery Farms PO Box 429, Winsand Drive Pigeon Falls, WI PIGEON FALLS, WISCONSIN NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 26 Return Service Requested In this edition: Special Edition: Farmer s Voice Wisconsin and Minnesota farms host tile monitoring Questions about this mailing? Call or erica.olson@ces.uwex.edu. Stay Connected Connecting farmers to understand and improve nitrogen UW Discovery Farms Five watershed farmers, three lessons learned Regional farmer meeting dates announced Meet our steering committee chair The UW Discovery Farms Program, part of UW-Extension, is a farmer-led research and outreach program that conducts research on working farms located throughout Wisconsin, seeking to identify agriculture s impact on water quality. An EEO/Affirmative Action employer, University of Wisconsin-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA requirements. Request for reasonable accommodation for disabilities or limitations should be made prior to the date of the program or activity for which it is needed. Publications are available in alternative formats upon request. Please make such requests as early as possible by contacting the Discovery Farms office at so proper arrangements can be made.