“agricultural challenges and opportunities”
TRANSCRIPT
EPA Non-Point Conference Rural Tour
“Agricultural Challenges and Opportunities” Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Welcome to the St. Peter area! We are pleased to have the opportunity to share with you a variety of projects which will hopefully provide you with some practical ideas and solutions for addressing your groundwater and surface water challenges. Thanks for spending the day with us!
Sponsored by: BNC Water Quality Board Joint Powers Board
Seven Mile Creek Watershed Project Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Agricultural Research Service-USDA
University of Minnesota- Minnesota Department of Health
Board of Water and Soil Resources
Sponsored by: BNC Water Quality Board Joint Powers Board
Seven Mile Creek Watershed Project Minnesota Department of Agriculture Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Agricultural Research Service-USDA University of Minnesota
Minnesota Department of Health Board of Water and Soil Resources
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Soil and Geology Overview (Bus Ride) Host: Terry Bovee-MN Department of Health Stop 1
Red Top Water Quality Field Demonstration
Hosts: Brian Williams, Bill VanRyswyk, and Bruce Montgomery-MN Dept. of Ag. and Dr. Michael Russelle-USDA-Agricultural Research Service
The Red Top Farm Water Quality Demonstration Site was established in the mid-1990s and provides the unique opportunity to evaluate Best Management Practices (BMPs) on a field scale. Three 25 acre fields are
continuously monitoring for water quality and quantity moving through the sub-surface tile drainage system. Perennial cropping systems provide numerous water quality benefits. In research by the UM and USDA-ARS in southwestern Minnesota, both alfalfa and CRP plantings improved tile drainage water quality compared to
continuous corn or a corn/soybean rotation. The Red Top site further demonstrates the beneficial uses of alfalfa for reducing nitrate concentrations in tile drainage and opens up some interesting possibilities for protecting St. Peter’s groundwater resources. .
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Stop 2
Northern Plains Dairy Host: Ernie Crouzer-Northern Plains Dairy Northern Plains Dairy (NPD) is a state-of-the art dairy facility located in the Seven Mile Creek Watershed. The dairy is home to approximately 3,000 Jersey cows and heifers and produces 15,000 gallons of milk per day. NPS features an anaerobic digester (each cow generates 2 KWH of electricity/day) and a 64-stall rotary milking parlor. Stop 3
Seven Mile Creek Watershed Monitoring
Host: Kevin Kuehner-Brown-Nicollet-Cottonwood Water Quality Board Seven Mile Creek is a minor watershed within the Minnesota River Basin and acre-for-acre is one of the highest nutrient loading systems in the state. Water quality and quantity has been monitored at three locations in the watershed since 1996.
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Lunch at Seven Mile Creek Park
Life Along the Minnesota River-A Historical Perspective Host: Bob Douglas-Gustavus Adolphus College Host: Pat Baskfield-Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Walking Tour Along the Minnesota River
Loss of wetlands, increased drainage, and the dominance of row crop production poses significant challenges to protection efforts of the Minnesota River. With the river as our backdrop, we will discuss the impacts of landscape alterations on the river and the Gulf of Mexico.
Stop 4
Wetland Restorations for Water Quality, Habitat and Drainage Management
Host: Kevin Kuehner-BNC Water Quality Board and Al Kean-Board of Water and Soil Resources This project is a collaborative effort with funding provided by the McKnight Foundation and Clean Water Partnership Program. The primary focus is to reduce nitrate concentrations to the Minnesota River and subsequently the Gulf of Mexico by modifying subsurface drainage systems to drain into restored wetlands. Since 2003, 20 wetlands were restored through this project. Effectiveness monitoring is being conducted to document hydrologic and water quality changes. At this stop you will tour the outlet of a 50 acre wetland restored in 2004 which intercepts a public and private drainage tile system.
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Nicollet County Conservation Drainage Demonstration Farm
Host: Mark Dittrich-MN Dept. of Agriculture and Dr. Gary Sands-University of Minnesota Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering In the spring of 2006, the Conservation Drainage Demonstration Farm was created. This stop will discuss some of the features of the farm including a woodchip bioreactor and the concept of “conservation drainage” which uses a series of controlled drainage structures.
Stop 5
St. Peter Groundwater and Wellhead Protection
Hosts: Brian Williams & Bruce Montgomery-MN Dept. of Ag, Dr. Michael Russelle-USDA-ARS and Terry Bovee-MN Dept of Health
Nitrate levels in St. Peter’s public water supply have steadily increased over the past several decades. We will discuss some of the unique challenges at this location.
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Directory of Speakers
Kevin Kuehner BNC Water Quality Board [email protected] Williams MN Department of Agriculture [email protected]. Michael Russelle USDA Agricultural Research Service [email protected] Bovee MN Department of Health [email protected] Crouzer Northern Plains Dairy [email protected]. Gary Sands UM Biosystems & Ag. Engineering [email protected] Kean Board of Water and Soil Resources [email protected] Baskfield MN Pollution Control Agency [email protected] VanRyswyk MN Department of Agriculture [email protected] Douglas Gustavus Adolphus [email protected] Dittrich MN Department of Agriculture [email protected] Montgomery MN Department of Agriculture [email protected]
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