Koepke Farm Koepk Farms, Inc. s, Inc. All monitoring began on - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1/9/2012 Koepke Koepke Farms, Inc Far Inc. Surface and Tile Water Monitoring Koepke Farm Koepk Farms, Inc. s, Inc. • All monitoring began on June 1, 2005 • KP1: Tile monitoring site Sediment Loss at Koepke Farms, Inc. • The East basin 81 acres • • Monitoring ended October 2009 • Separated from other sites by a drainage ditch • KP2: Tile monitoring site The West basin • • 28 acres • Monitoring ended October 2009 • KP3: Surface monitoring site • The West basin • 6.1 acres • Monitoring ended September 2008 Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Farms, Inc Far Inc. Far Farms, Inc Inc. Surface and Tile Water Monitoring Koepke Water Budget • The contributing area for the two tile line • All data is based on the definition of a field year (FY): sites were influenced by a fluctuating water table that extended beyond the surface • 12 ‐ month period from Oct 1 through Sept 30 of the following year topographic boundaries • Calculating yield for tile sites was not possible; exact area unknown • Allows water monitoring activities to coincide with crop production cycle • Koepke Farms has hydric soils, formed • Harvest after Sept is tied to the previous field year, but activities (tillage, under saturated conditions for periods long fertilizer, manure, etc) done after harvest are for the following year’s crop enough to create anaerobic conditions • Drain tile was installed to increase crop • Precipitation is referred to as either frozen or non ‐ frozen production • Due to poorly drained soils, dense • All frozen precipitation was converted to its liquid glacial material, and a seasonally high water table equivalent for analysis consistency 1

1/9/2012 Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Far Farms, Inc Inc. Farms, Inc Far Inc. Water Quality Values in Concentrations ‐ Loads – Yields Yearly Precipitation and Surface Runoff Koepke Farm, Oconomowoc, WI Discovery Farms water quality data provides both the concentration • 50 Precipitation and Runoff, in Inches Frozen Precip. (L.E.) Non ‐ frozen Precip. KP3 Runoff 45 of various constituents (sediment, phosphorus, nitrogen, etc.) and 40 volume of runoff for individual runoff events. 30 ‐ yr Avg. Precipitation (33.9 inches) 35 30 25 20 • Concentrations are reported in milligrams/liter (mg/L) or parts per 15 million (ppm) and used to describe the amount or mass of a 16% 10 5% 5% constituent per volume of sample. 5 0 FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 FY2009* FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 FY2009 Percent of precipitation that ran off KP3 • Concentrations alone cannot be used to describe agricultural runoff losses because they don’t take into account the total volume of • FY06 and FY09 had lower than average precipitation water that the sample represents. • FY07 and FY08 had higher than average precipitation • Surface water runoff ranged from 5% ‐ 16% of annual precipitation. Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Far Farms, Inc Inc. Farms, Inc Far Inc. Water Quality Values in Concentrations – Loads ‐ Yields Water Quality Values in Concentrations – Loads ‐ Yields • Combining concentrations with total water volume that a sample represents provides the total loss or load derived from agricultural Due to fluctuating water table elevations, the exact land acreage drained landscapes. by the tile sites (KP1, KP2) could not be determined. – Loads are the total mass of a constituent per volume of runoff and are Thus, flow values, sediment and/or nutrient losses reported for the tile usually reported in pounds or tons. sites are identified as volumes (millions of gallons), concentrations (milligrams / liter), or loads for each field year. • Using loads alone to compare farm fields or basins can be misleading because loads do not take into account the size of the field or basin. Since the exact land acreage drained by the surface site (KP3) was known, runoff values, sediment and/ or nutrient losses are reported as yield • Yields are used to compare multiple fields or basins and are reported as measurements (inches / acre or pounds / acre) for each field year. pounds/acre or tons/acre. Yield is calculated by taking the total loss or load and dividing by the contributing area (field/basin size). • Yield normalizes data and allows for acre to acre comparisons. 2

1/9/2012 Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Farms, Inc Far Inc. Farms, Inc Far Inc. Cropping Practices Surface Sediment Loss: Yields • Both basins were managed under a no ‐ till planting system with different • The average sediment loss for the surface basin KP3 during the monitoring crop rotations period was 172 lbs/acre/year • It is low due to the no ‐ till cropping system and tile lines • In the east basin, alfalfa was chemically killed in the spring of 2007 a few days prior to planting corn • FY06 had a total surface sediment loss of 40 lbs/acre • Sediment losses occurred only in March and April • Manure was surface applied to corn acres in either late fall or spring Basin East - KP1 West - KP2/KP3 • FY07 had a total surface sediment loss of 216 lbs/acre 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 • 89% of the total sediment lost came from one storm event on Oct. 4 Crop Alfalfa Alfalfa Corn Corn Soybean Corn Corn Soybean Corn Alfalfa • FY08 had a total surface sediment loss of 260 lbs/acre grain silage silage grain silage • 93% of the total sediment lost came from one storm event dropping 7.3” See graphs – next 2 slides KP1 and KP2 = Tile Site KP3 = Surface Site Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Far Farms, Inc Inc. Farms, Inc Far Inc. KP3 Annual Sediment Loss – Surface Basin KP3 Monthly Sediment Loss – Surface Basin 300 250 Sediment yield (lbs/acre) 250 Frozen FY2006 Non ‐ Frozen 200 200 Sediment yield (lbs/acre) FY2007 150 150 FY2008 100 100 50 0 50 FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 0 Average sediment loss (surface basin) through study period = 172 lbs / ac / yr Attributed to no ‐ till cropping system and tile drainage Surface sediment loss on this farm was driven by large single events. Approx 90% of 07 and 08 sediment from a single event storm each year. 3

1/9/2012 Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Farms, Inc Far Inc. Farms, Inc Far Inc. Tile Sediment Loss: Concentrations and Loads Tile Sediment Loss: Concentrations and Loads Sediment yields were not calculated because the contributing area for the tile drainage • FY2005* FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 FY2009 system could not accurately be determined. KP1 Alfalfa Alfalfa Corn grain Corn silage Soybean Concentration 5 mg/L <2 - 92 mg/L <2 - 151 <1 – 168 <2 – 10 Range (Avg.) (5 mg/L) (21 mg/L) mg/L mg/L mg/L • High sediment concentrations were observed in both tile systems during late fall, (20 mg/L) (37 mg/L) (5 mg/L) winter and early spring Load 1.6 lbs 650 lbs 1458 lbs 3106 lbs ----- • Total sediment loads were typically higher under corn and soybeans than alfalfa KP2 Corn silage Corn grain Soybean Corn silage Alfalfa Concentration 3 – 4 mg/L <2 – 116 <2 – 362 <1 – 158 <2 – 9 mg/L • Field year accounting method attributes soil loss between fall harvest and spring Range (Avg.) (3 mg/L) mg/L mg/L mg/L (6 mg/L) planting to the next year’s crop. (25 mg/L) (34 mg/L) (31 mg/L) Load 1.9 lbs 893 lbs 1729 lbs 1817 lbs ----- • Sediment loads shown for given crop can be misleading *Annotates partial year of sampling • Example: Largest sediment concentration was observed at KP2 in October 4, 2006. Annotates only monthly base flow sampling • Although this event is placed under the soybean crop grown in 2007, the sediment loss should be linked to the corn grown in 2006 Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Koepke Far Farms, Inc Inc. Farms, Inc Far Inc. Sediment Loss During Monthly Total Sediment Loads – Tile Basins Total Tile Sediment Loss by Period 1400 Frozen vs. Non ‐ Frozen FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 1200 Ground Time Period Total sediment load (lbs) 37% 1000 Frozen 63% 800 1. Sediment loss occurs more frequently Non ‐ Frozen when the soil is not frozen. 600 400 Total Surface Sediment Loss by Period 200 2. During frozen ground 3% 0 Surface sediment loss = 3% of yr total Tile sediment loss = 37% of yr total ** KP1 KP2 Frozen Non ‐ Frozen ** Macropore flow during frozen Tile Sediment Loss: Timing was more consistent than surface runoff, 97% conditions and more substantial during frozen ground conditions than non frozen ground. Highest sediment loss months for both tile sites were Feb and June. 4