2019 SWCS International Annual Conference July 28-31, 2019 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1. NE Wisconsin Demonstration Farms:
Collaborative Approach to Improving
Soil Health and Water Quality
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
Barry Bubolz
Area GLRI Coordinator
USDA-NRCS

2. Issues to Address in Lower Fox
Fox River is the #1 Contributor of Phosphorus to Lake Michigan
(Source: USGS Water Resources)

3. You Decide…….Soil Health Problem?
1. Soil Covered Y/N
2. Soil Disturbed Y/N
3. Plant Diversity Y/N
4. Continual Living Root Y/N
5. Livestock Integration Y/N

5. Demo Farms ….How did we start?
“Acknowledgement that a soil health system was the path to
achieving water quality improvements”

6. Demo Farms Technical Support
• Dedicated Individual or Team
• Collaboration with Partners(USGS, WI – DATCP, Discovery Farms, UW-
Extension, County LCD…….)
• Hands on Approach
• Embracing the Soil Health System model
• Experience with Local Producers and Agriculture
• Public Relations Assistance
• Industry Engagement (Private Agronomist, NEW Water, Co-ops, Custom
Manure Haulers, Equipment Dealer,….)

7. Who want to lead?

8. WI Demonstration Farms Networks

9. WI Demonstration Farms Networks

10. Organic Matter……..Where do you stand?
Potential!!!
How much more can we afford to
lose??

11. Advancing Conservation with Science
One of the strengths of EOF
monitoring and Demo Farms is
the direct interaction between
producers, conservationists, and
science agency personnel.

12. Edge of Field and Soil Health Monitoring
EPA-USGS-NRCS-
UWGB-Purdue
• Before and after
EOF and soil health
monitoring of
conservation
practices on 3 Demo
Farms and one
“Satellite” Farm
• Includes tile
monitoring on one
farm
• Data being used to
develop SWAT
model specifically
for the region

13. Demo Farm

14. Demo Farm
June 27, 20019

15. Critical times = March April May June
50% of sediment loss in 3 days in 2016, 3/15, 6/15, 9/25
25-45 % of TP in these three days
The Monitoring Story…….

16. Manure and Cover Crops

17. Side-Dressing Manure
June 22, 2018

18. New Horizons Dairy

19. New Horizons Dairy
8000 gallons manure with a dribble bar after the
cover crop was around 12” tall. See, how it bounced back
after the hose was dragged across it.
Pre-Manure
9/29/17
Post Manure
10/6/17
10/25/17

20. “Planting Green”

21. “Planting Green”
May 23, 2018 May 25, 2018 June 21, 2018

22. Dairyland Farms
• After Winter Wheat harvest
• 10,000 Gal/Ac Manure
• 80# Winter Triticale & 80#
Oats drilled after Winter
Wheat
November 20, 2018

23. Dairyland Farms
Harvest End of November to Mid December Approximately 750 Acres

24. Dairyland Farms
j

25. Augustian Farms
October 2, 2017
Planted after 4th Crop Alfalfa
September 11, 2018

26. Augustian Farms
Dry Matter biomass measurements of:
7,961 #/Ac and 9,388 #/Ac taken on the field
June 7, 2019

27. Augustian Farms
June 25th
July 8th
July 26th

28. Thanks!
Go Bucky!!
Barry Bubolz, Area GLRI Coordinator
Barry.Bubolz@wi.usda.gov