For more information, or to have this file e-mailed, contact:

Judy Goplin - Program Assistant
Office Phone: 715/983-5668
Fax: 715/983-2138
jgoplin@wisc.edu

Discovering the Best Way

Discovery Farm Program On Its Way - with Dennis Frame, Discovery Farm Co-Director

The deadline for Discovery Farm applications is now past. We received a fantastic group of applications from a wide variety of farms, spread throughout Wisconsin – exactly what we had hoped for! We encourage anyone still interested in the program to fill out an application. This initial request for applications was only to obtain our base Discovery Farms. We will always welcome more applications from farms interested in joining the project in the future. We keep all applications on file, and as funding becomes available we will sign on additional Discovery Farms.

The Discovery Farm program is part of the governor's Wisconsin Ag Stewardship Initiative (WASI), which is a producer-driven initiative seeking to help producers find the most economical ways of complying with environmental regulation. We hope the on-farm research done through Discovery Farms in “real-world” situations will influence future environmental regulation on farms, creating rules that make sense for farmers and still protect the environment.

We will be making visits to applicant's farms through the first half of June and the Discovery Farm advisory council will be making the farm selections. We hope to announce 10-12 Discovery Farms by early July and feature the farms in the Discovery Farm booth at Farm Progress Days, Sept. 18-20 in Janesville.

Special projects

Another rapidly developing and important part of the Discovery Farm program are the Special Projects, headed up by Wes Jarrell, our systems scientist. The Special Projects are chosen based on the level of on-farm risk they would entail and the need for immediate answers about the economic viability and effectiveness of some new ideas.

Methane generation of manure – A new opportunity/challenge facing the dairy and possibly the livestock industry is the generation of power through methane digestion. Several dairies located throughout the state are developing plans to install methane digesters. These operations have requested assistance from the Discovery Farm Program to help in analyzing these systems. The questions range from the best types of bacteria to aid in the digestion process, the cost effectiveness of the process, the nutrient availability of the end product of digestion, and the ability of an operation to increase their stocking rate because of changes in nutrient availability or ability to haul the end product to another operation.

Nutrient management insurance – This program will work to develop an insurance program for producers concerned that adopting Best Management Practices (BMPs) will reduce production, decreasing profitability. The first year of nutrient management insurance will target grain yields, based on nitrogen application rates. As the program develops insurance may be available for producers interested in reducing phosphorous feeding levels. With help from NRCS we plan to do pilot testing on about 15,000 acres in 2002.

590 Standard re-write – Wisconsin is required to update the current NRCS 590 Standard to include phosphorous and other changes in the federal program. Discovery Farm Special Projects is taking an active role in developing and designing this standard to insure it can be implemented throughout Wisconsin.

Phosphorous index development and testing – In order to meet the NRCS 590 Standard Wisconsin needs to revise the current Nutrient Management Standard to include phosphorous-based planning. Right now the only way producers will be able to comply with the standard's requirements is if Wisconsin has a phosphorous index that allows application of nutrients to fields determined to be low-risk for water quality impairment. This index needs to be completed this summer so it can be included in the revised 590 Standard. The new standard will impact almost every farm in Wisconsin over the next several years.

Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans – A component of the new 590 Standard will include developing Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans. To determine exactly what needs to be in these types of plans the Discovery Farm Program will work with NRCS staff to develop several plans on cooperating farms.

Phosphorous pathways of manure run through a screen separator – A trial is currently being designed between the Discovery Farm Program and the UW-Madison Dairy Science Department to study where phosphorous goes after separation through an inclined screen separator. Knowing the types of phosphorous and the concentration in either the liquid or solid manure may make it possible to determine where and when this manure should be applied.

Headland stacking – One challenge dairy producers are facing is the ability to stack manure on fields. The DNR is concerned manure stacking poses a greater risk to both surface and groundwater. DNR is currently regulating where large permitted operations can stack manure. A concern facing the dairy industry is what happens if stacking manure becomes unacceptable for all operation sizes. This Special Project will look at nutrient losses from stacked manure and make recommendations about where and when manure stacking is a viable alternative. We will also try to develop a low-cost stacking system, which would be available throughout Wisconsin.

Feed additives for efficient P uptake – citrate and Vitamin D derivatives/analogs – Early research suggests the addition of citrate and/or vitamin D analogs can reduce the level/need for supplementation of dietary phosphorous. Some of these studies indicate it may be possible to reduce or eliminate phosphorous supplementation ­– reducing the amount of phosphorous in manure by 40-60 percent. If this proves to be true, the next step is determining the cost effectiveness of this process. The Discovery Farm Program can calculate not only the economic consequences, but also the cost effectiveness of the reduced phosphorous and the reduction in spreadable acres.

Decreasing P additives in feeds for improved manure quality (wider N:P ration, lower total P loading – Studies by Satter and Powel have indicated many dairymen are over supplementing phosphorous to their dairy herds. By reducing supplemental phosphorous levels to .38 it is possible to reduce the phosphorous levels in manure. The Discovery Farm Program is proposing to work with these researchers on a limited study to determine the effects of this type of feeding program.

Development of a Wisconsin Environmental Assessment Program – Researchers at UW-Madison have received a grant to develop a dairy assessment tool to help producers identify environmental issues facing their operations. The Discovery Farm Program could help in development and testing this tool, as well as the many other tools developed throughout the country.

Whole Farm Balance for nitrogen and phosphorous – Studies on a few farms in Wisconsin indicate some operations are bringing on significantly more phosphorous and nitrogen to their operations than they are exporting. This imbalance results in increasing soil test phosphorous levels and leads to excessively high nitrogen losses. A study of the balance of nitrogen and phosphorous will be conducted on several dairy farms in Wisconsin. The farms will be run through a computer program (N-CYCLE) that will be developed for use by Extension agents, agribusiness consultants and others working directly with producers. The program's goal is to determine the long-term sustainability of individual operations.

Monitoring beginning at Braggers

Our pilot Discovery Farm, the Bragger farm near Independence, recently started air quality monitoring and money has been approved to set up the water quality monitoring. These are exciting first steps in the Discovery Farm process.

The initial monitoring is being done without changing any management practices. We want to see what's going on in the environment around the farm now, before making suggestions. By doing this we'll be able to establish what the nutrient and sediment losses are before giving recommendations for changes.

We are working hard to get our official Discovery Farm office set up in Pigeon Falls. The phone lines there are now connected and will be a permanent way to get in touch with me about the Discovery Farm Program. You can reach me there at 715-983-2257 or in my car at 715-299-0081.

To request an application contact the Discovery Farm communications coordinator, Shannon Hayes, at 608-527-3462 or smhayes@facstaff.wisc.edu.