The Ag Water Exchange blog is a place for thoughtful discussion of ideas and information on water quality and agricultural management practices. The goal of the Ag Water Exchange is to contribute to the greater advancement water quality knowledge and modern agricultural management practices.
Why we monitor: Early observations in the Antigo Flats
With the 20-year anniversary of UW Discovery Farm’s establishment this year, we have collected approximately 150 site years of edge-of-field, surface water quality data in Wisconsin. With this extensive database of different farming systems and... Read More
Improving water quality and soil health on tile drained lands
The Wisconsin and Minnesota Discovery Farms Programs received a Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) to monitor tile drainage for three years starting in the fall of 2017. The project was titled Improving water quality and soil... Read More
So, when did you become a scientist?
I vividly remember when I became a scientist. I think I was in fifth grade, and we were assigned to develop a research question and hypothesis and collect data to illustrate the scientific method. My... Read More
Introducing Discovery Acres in Vermont
In late 2020, the University of Vermont Extension began construction on Discovery Acres, a new on-farm research site located in the St. Albans Bay watershed. This is multi-year project funded by the Vermont Agency of... Read More
Nitrogen News from Discovery Farms Wisconsin
This article was originally produced for Dairy’s Bottom Line, a PDPW Publicaiton Abby Augarten abigail.augarten@wisc.edu Developing a N management plan is a challenge for farmers given the dynamic nature of the N cycle, variable weather... Read More
Partner piece: Water quality monitoring with the Producers of Lake Redstone
Contributed by: Juneau County Land and Water Office (Wisconsin) During their first full year as a DATCP producer-led initiative, The Producers of Lake Redstone have jumped in feet first. Planting 240 acres of cover crops... Read More
The farms behind the dataset
Farmers are the backbone of Discovery Farms. By opening up their farms to research, farmer participants unlock our Programs’ capabilities to generate data to find workable solutions that address environmental concerns. At the Discovery Farms... Read More
Land spreading milk due to market disruption
In Wisconsin, farmers are experiencing an interruption in farm to milk plant processing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an oversupply of some dairy products, such that certain plants are asking farmers to reduce... Read More
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