Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

(6 July) The meeting was called to order by Chair John Grabber at 1:00 PM in the Agriculture Technology Center of the UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm, Platteville, WI. Mahdi Al-Kaisi served as Secretary. Participants introduced themselves. John Grabber presented the following agenda. Thursday, 6 July at Pioneer Farm Call to order Update from CSREES Advisor Mary Ann Rozum and Administrative Advisor Richard Straub Discussion of Midterm Review/Recommendations and future of NC-1012 Discussion of Outcomes, Impact Statements, and submission of Annual and Impact Reports Pioneer farm presentations and tour of research activities Friday, 7 July at Lancaster Agricultural Research Station State Reports Other Business Pass Gavel Adjourn Update from CSREES Advisor Mary Ann Rozum and Administrative Advisor Richard Straub The President's FY06 budget suggested phasing out formula /Hatch funding and switching to multi-state competitive grant process. Directors convinced Congress that this was not practical and Hatch funding actually increased slightly for FY06. Funding levels in FY07 are expected to be comparable to FY06. Presidential proposal for FY07 is that 55% of Hatch would be multi-state over next five years with balance being distributed as in the past. Challenge with this proposal is that multi-state funds would go into new competitive grant program at end of project. AES Directors are working with the administration to resolve some of these issues and manage long-term sustainable funding in partnership with the federal government, particularly since AES directors are generally very supportive of multi-state activities since they help minimize duplication of efforts. Directors at various universities distribute Hatch funds differently. The new under secretary of USDA is calling for increase funding in Bioenergy research. Environmental groups are focusing on the farm subsidy program and asking for accountability and documentations for practices improvements. Also, there is a focus on a market base and ecosystem services as a new direction for evaluating practices effectiveness. The NC1012 next proposal needs to be focused to assess impact and changes for the next 5 years. Discussion of Midterm Review/Recommendations and future of NC-1012 The midterm review highlighted three areas that need to be addressed by the NC1012 committee. 1) Clarify that there is true collaboration between researchers, not merely each team member fulfilling discrete roles. 2) Provide evidence of leveraging this substantial progress (preliminary data) towards external funding or efforts/plans to submit proposals for funding. 3) Provide evidence for multidisciplinary joint publication. In response to the review, on July 6 and 7 the committee discussed factors hindering multi-state collaborative research and options for overcoming these barriers. Most members indicated that State funding was insufficient to support meaningful regional collaborative research and outreach. Since NC1012 has traditionally focused on agricultural and water quality issues in the karst areas mainly in WI, MN, and IA, the committee at times lacks a "critical mass" of active participants. This is because direct tangible support is usually limited to travel expenses for one representative per state to attend NC1012 meetings. Due to a lack of travel support, many participants do not regularly attend annual meetings. Enlisting participants from additional states and other groups and governmental agencies with similar agricultural and environmental interests was identified as one means of strengthening the committee. Many participants also felt the current objectives and activities of the committee were too broad and not amenable to multi-state collaborative efforts. To address this, two subcommittees were formed to develop outlines of future NC1012 projects with strong potential for multi-state collaboration, external funding, and impact with policy makers. The subcommittees were asked to distribute their outlines to NC1012 participants in the fall of 2006 to stimulate further discussion and the development of full proposals. Since tillage research is one of the stronger aspects of multi-state collaborate work in the current project, participants from WI, IA, and MN agreed to organize a regional Tillage Management Conference for the summer of 2007 in NE Iowa for farmers, farm implement manufactures, extension agents, and consultants. Pioneer farm presentations and tour of research activities Faculty, staff, and USGS scientists gave presentations and a tour of livestock, forage, and water quality research at the Pioneer Farm. Chris Baxter and colleagues at the Pioneer Farm were thanked for their efforts in hosting the 1st day of the meeting. State Reports See minutes attachment for detailed State Reports

• Jeff Vetsch, Mahdi Al-Kaisi, and Tony Vyn reported on tillage research in MN, IA, and IN.
• John Moncrief described P-index research in MN, WI, and IA.
• Ken Albrecht reported on cropping systems work in WI.
• Ben Tracy presented an overview of research on integrated livestock and farming systems work in IL.
• Jeff Lehmkuhler described work on P supplementation of grazing steers in WI.
• John Norman described progress with the PALMS soil erosion model in WI.
• Peter Vadas described models for predicting P loss from manure and soil for the USDA-ARS.

Other business Mahdi Al-Kaisi will serve as Chair in 2007. Ken Albrecht will serve as Secretary in 2007 and Chair in 2008. The next meeting will be in Lancaster on July 26-27, 2007.

Accomplishments and Impacts (listed according to NC1012 objectives) 1. Quantify the change in crop sequences and animal production during the past 25 years within the karst region to determine appropriate conservation strategies for protecting soil and water quality considering existing production systems. Title: Cropping system changes contribute to hypoxia problem. Accomplishment: A review of National Agricultural Statistics Service data covering the past 50 years showed that in Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 105 and elsewhere throughout the Upper Mississippi River sub-Basin, corn and soybean production has expanded at the expense of alfalfa and oat production. Role: Scientists contributing to the NC-1012 reviewed this information and prepared multiple reports. The information was also used to guide many of the new studies initiated by NC1012 participants. Impact: Shifts in cropping practices within MLRA 105 have reduced the portion of the year that steeply sloping soils are covered with living, transpiring plants, thus affecting the hydrology, soil quality, and type of conservation practices needed. Documenting these changes provides the basis for multi-location studies addressing crop management, soil quality, tillage practices and crop utilization by scientists associated with this regional project. The research information is also being used for Extension guidelines, presentations, and technical publications reaching multiple stakeholders throughout MLRA 105 and elsewhere within the Upper Mississippi River Watershed. 2. Evaluate strip till against other soil and water conservation tillage systems. Title: Integrated tillage, N source, and N rate effects on corn response and N and P use in North east Iowa. Problem: There is a great concern about the impact of tillage and manure management on the efficient use of nutrients and the potential impact on surface water quality in Iowa. Accomplishment/Role: This project was a 4-year project involving 38 research trails in Northeast Iowa. The research team from the Agronomy and Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering Departments developed a research protocol to examine the interaction effect of tillage and manure management on crop response and on soil and water quality. Impact: The results of this 4-yr project helped producers to understand the proper way to manage tillage and manure for reducing adverse impacts on the environment. Eighty-two percent of the cooperators involved in this project began applying manure as the only source of nutrients. Seventy-nine percent of the cooperators indicated that they now manage their tillage and manure more efficiently because of their involvement in this project. The project helped farmers to reduce their cost input by $10-20/acre. Title: Strip and no-till systems give comparable corn yields with less cost and soil erosion than conventional tillage systems. Problem: Intensive row-crop production has expended on unglaciated soils in the Upper Mississippi Valley and Southern Indiana karst areas. This has lead to high soil erosion of fragile landscapes which already have degraded soil and water quality. Accomplishment/Role: A three-year study by NC1012 investigators at the Lancaster Agricultural Research Station demonstrated that corn silage and grain yields were similar for fall chisel/spring field cultivator, spring field cultivator, strip-till, and no-till systems. Measured soil loss was greater in the chisel system compared to the strip-till system, especially in 2004 when heavy early-season rains occurred. Impact: An economic analysis of this research demonstrated that no-till and strip-till systems produced yields similar to conventional tillage but with lower cost and less soil loss. 3. Develop and quantify the role of cover crops, living mulches, and alternative crops for mixed crop-livestock operations. Title: Integrating beef cattle production with grain crops: Dudley Smith Farming Systems Experiment in Illinois. Problem: A critical need exists for long-term research in alternative cropping systems that are conducted at realistic farm size spatial scales. Accomplishment/Role: In 2002, a multi-disciplinary group of research scientists, extension educators and stakeholders helped to convert a 225-acre corn and soybean farm (Dudley Smith Farm) into a farming system that directly integrates cattle with grain crop production. Impact: Since 2003, more than 1100 farmers, agribusiness professionals, teachers, and students from14 states and 4 continents have visited our experimental farm to learn about integrated livestock-grain production systems. At least 10 local producers have adopted methods developed at our research farm. We have also collected unique agronomic data on soil compaction, carbon sequestration, cover crops and weed populations associated with winter cropland pasture grazing systems. Title: Corn silage production in kura clover living mulch. Problem: The role of corn silage in dairy cow rations has increased at a time of concern about high N fertilizer prices and erosive soil losses from sloping fields. Accomplishment/Role: Corn silage yield in kura clover living mulch ranged from 4.5 to 9.1 tons dry matter per acre over six environments and was equal to silage produced in monoculture. Silage yield in kura clover living mulch did not respond to nitrogen fertilizer application indicating that maize silage nitrogen requirements were fully met by the suppressed kura clover. Impact: In addition to saving $50 per acre on nitrogen fertilizer costs and reducing opportunity for N fertilizer movement into surface and ground water, corn silage production in kura clover living mulch allows permanent ground cover on erosion prone landscapes. Title: Forage production and nutritive value of oat harvested in autumn or early summer. Problem:Options for late-season, high-quality, forage production either in planned rotations with short season crops or in emergency when corn silage and alfalfa production are reduced by drought, are limited. Accomplishment/Role: Oat sown in August produced 3 tons per acre of forage when harvested 77 days later, slightly less than spring sown oat harvested 77 days after sowing. Fiber digestibility of autumn produced oat forage is very high, as is water-soluble carbohydrate concentration, making this "dairy quality" forage. Oat sown in late summer, and especially the leafy, late maturing cultivar ForagePlus, can supplement high quality forage production in autumn. Impact: This information is being used by county agents to advise farmers in drought-affected areas of Wisconsin and surrounding states in summer 2006 who are in need of emergency dairy quality forage. 4. Develop alternative forage-based livestock management strategies and determine impacts on profitability, soil, water, and air quality, and nutrient balances. Title: Reed canarygrass-kura clover silage as an alternative to alfalfa for dairy cattle. Problem: In 3 of the last 10 years loss of alfalfa to winter damage was widespread throughout states that encompass the driftless region, highlighting the need to identify persistent alternative forages. Accomplishment/Role: We discovered that silage yield and milk production from kura clover-reed canarygrass mixtures and alfalfa are similar, however the mixture is much more persistent than alfalfa. Impact: The reed canarygrass-kura clover mixture is an alternative to alfalfa for high producing livestock such as diary cattle in areas where alfalfa persistence is a problem, offering opportunity to reduce risk in livestock operations. Long-term persistence also reduces re-establishment costs and tillage on erosion prone landscapes. 5. Model surface water quality impacts of current and alternative land management strategies. Title: Reliable methods to assess feed and manure management on dairy farms. Problem: With regulations pertaining to environmental impacts of animal agriculture, dairy farmers seek new ways to track and improve the management of nutrients contained in feed and manure. Accomplishment/Role: A research team of USDFRC scientists and University of Wisconsin faculty developed methods with dairy farmers to rapidly assess relationships between dairy feed nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) consumption, N and P secretions in milk, N and P excretions in manure, and how much manure is collected and land-applied. Impact: Team findings provided an accurate snap-shot of Wisconsin industry practices, as well as the range of feed and manure management practices on individual dairy farms. Information is being used to revise Wisconsin's Nutrient Management Curriculum and Wisconsin's Code 590 Nutrient Management Standards. The on-farm survey instruments have been requested and adapted for use in Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Australia. Plans for the upcoming year " In WI, a rain simulator will be used to estimate the runoff potential of soil and phosphorus from kura clover and other companion crop systems for corn silage. " NC1012 members from WI, IA, and MN are organizing a Tillage Management Conference to be held in NE Iowa for farmers, farm implement manufactures, extension agents, and consultants. " In the Illinois Dudley Smith Farming Systems Experiment, we will convert our spring calving system into a fall calving system to make more efficient use of available forage within the system. This calving system will be evaluated for the next five years. Outreach activities " Pasture Walk and Grazing Research Discussion at Arlington Research Station in WI, May 16, 2006. (about 30 people attended) " Illinois Extension Pasture/Grazing In-Service to Wisconsin at Lancaster Research Station, June 28, 2006. (about 30 people attended) " Presentation on cropping system changes and practices needed to sustain soil resources at the Hypoxia Conference, Sept. 26-28, 2005. (~250 people attended) " Three radio interviews and four popular press articles regarding crop rotation effects on soil quality indicators. The interviews and articles included data from the Lancaster research site. " Tillage research in Iowa led to the development of several extension and referee journals publications for tillage and manure best management practices that are utilized by extension specialists and other agricultural professionals in the state. Over the 4-yr project, several field days and workshops were conducted. Press releases and news letters articles were published in the printed press and websites " Illinois Dudley Smith Farming Systems Experiment-annual fall field day in late is typically attended by 100-130 people.

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