The Discovery Farms® Programs in Wisconsin, Vermont, Arkansas and Minnesota will host a virtual webinar to present program updates and highlight new data. Discovery Farms® is a farmer led on farm water quality research group, created to understand the impact of conservation practices on water and soil quality. This program was founded in Wisconsin in 2001 and continues to facilitate on-farm, farmer-led research related to water quality.

Questions? Need to request an accommodation? Please contact Ellen Albright at ellen.albright@wisc.edu.

Learn More About Each State's Presentation

Innovative Approaches to Addressing Nutrient Management and Water Quality Challenges in Vermont

For five years UVM-Extension has been addressing water quality and nutrient management challenges in Vermont through Discovery Acres, a unique on-farm research trial. Discovery Acres is a unique experiment with four individual watersheds in a single field to measure the effects of tile drainage and best management practices on corn yields, cover crop growth, and water quality. As unpredictable and extreme weather events become more common in Vermont, standing water in heavy clay soil can result in decreased crop productivity, increased surface runoff, and increased subsurface flow. Increased flow of water through the agroecosystem can lead to the transport of nutrients off the field, directly impacting farmers profitability and ecosystem health.

Speakers: Claire Benning, Heather Darby, and Joshua Faulkner

Celebrating 25 Years of Wisconsin Discovery Farms

Since 2001 the Wisconsin Discovery Farms program has collected over 300 site-years of water quality data from farm fields across the state. This presentation will summarize key findings from surface runoff  and tile drainage monitoring, including a comparison of tile dynamics between Wisconsin and Minnesota Discovery Farms sites. We will also share the results of case studies evaluating the water quality effects of various agricultural conservation practices, which will be included in updates to the Wisconsin Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy.

Speaker: Ellen Albright, Discovery Farms Researcher, UW–Madison Extension Ag Water Quality Program

What Do We Know About Edge-of-Field Water Quality on Minnesota Farms?

In Minnesota, the Discovery Farms program has been collecting edge-of-field water quality data on privately owned farms since 2010. This presentation will summarize key findings on the differences observed between surface runoff and subsurface tile drainage, and the amount and timing of runoff, sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen loss. The presentation will also key on the impact of different farming practices on edge-of-field losses.

Speakers: Tim Radatz

Monitoring Nutrient Losses in Runoff from Poultry Litter Applications in Rice Production

New poultry companies have been established in Northeastern Arkansas making poultry litter much more available to row crop farmers.  A new Discovery Farm,  funded by USDA-NRCS, has been established in Jackson County Arkansas to monitor the utilization of poultry litter as a soil amendment in rice production on land-leveled fields.  Edge-of-field monitoring stations were established in 2022 in three fields each amended with different rates of poultry litter, 2 tons, 3 tons and 4 tons per acre.  Water quality results will be presented as well as the effects of poultry litter on soil health.

Speaker: Mike Daniels, Distinguished Professor – Extension Soil and Water University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service