Characteristics of Kentucky Agricultural Operations Participating in NRCS Conservation Programs

The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) designs and promotes a wide variety of conservation practices and programs that enhance the environment by reducing soil erosion, improving water quality, and enhancing and creating wildlife habitat. The impact of these practices and programs is largely dependent on the voluntary participation of landowners. Thus, central to the success of the NRCS conservation programs is an understanding of the characteristics of landowners and operations participating in these programs. Using operator and operation characteristics from the 1997, 2002, and 2007 Censuses of Agriculture and controlling for county fixed effects, this study 1) identifies significant characteristics of Kentucky agricultural operators and operations that participate in NRCS conservation programs, and 2) develops a ranking of Kentucky county effectiveness at encouraging NRCS conservation program participation. The examined NRCS conservation programs include the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Programs, Farmable Wetlands Program, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. The Environmental Quality Incentive Program was not evaluated as the county-level data for this program were not included in the Censuses. Multiple linear regression model results indicate that participation in NRCS conservation programs, when controlling for the fixed effects of the counties, is most closely linked to operations owned by the primary operator and those having Internet access. Operations with larger dairies and fewer conservation practices are more likely to participate. Counties with more poultry operations and fewer crop operations are also more likely to participate. While crop size is significant, its effect was negligible. With regards to county effectiveness at encouraging participation, the Purchase and Midwestern agriculture districts have much higher participation levels than predicted unlike the Bluegrass agriculture district where participation was much lower than predicted. Based on study results, it is recommended that the NRCS adopt a two-pronged approach to increasing conservation program participation. First, the NRCS should look for ways to modify and/or develop new programs to target under-represented operations as the present focus is largely on croplands and wetlands which are abundant in the Purchase and Midwestern agriculture districts. Second, the NRCS should pursue new avenues of education and outreach. By partnering with land grant institutions, such as the University of Kentucky, the NRCS can work to develop demonstration sites to show-case the feasibility of conserving the environment in an effective and cost-efficient manner. Also, the effectiveness of the Internet in encouraging conservation program participation indicates that the NRCS should work with land grant institutions to develop electronic media in the form of factsheets, videos, webinars, and so forth that focus on conservation practices, but that traditional means of delivery should continue

The Development of Relationships Between Constituent Concentrations and Generic Hydrological Variables

The collection and analysis of samples from storm events constitutes a large portion of the effort associated with water quality research. Estimating concentrations or loads from these events is often difficult. The equipment necessary to analyze the samples and the required laboratory resources are typically significant expenses incurred by the researcher. One potential method to reduce these costs is through the development of generic relationships between concentrations and easily measured variables such as dimensionless flow rate or time. The benefits recognized from such an effort include a reduction in the number of required samples, resulting in a reduction in cost. Using data collected from an Arkansas stream near Fayetteville, relationships between the generic variables (time and flow) and several constituents (nitrate–N, orthophosphate, total phosphorus, ammonia–N, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, fecal coliforms, and fecal streptococci) were examined. Results of the analyses indicated that a form of the gamma function could be used to estimate the flow–weighted mean concentrations and loads of the constituents at a significant cost savings to the user, assuming that single–peak hydrograph data were readily available. By using a single sample collected at the peak of the storm along with information pertaining to the time of sample collection, time of the peak of the storm hydrograph, and the constituent concentration of the sample, the flow–weighted mean concentration or load could be determined. Results of the analysis indicate that the method performed reasonably well. Since the analysis of only one sample is required to determine the flow–weighted mean concentration or load, instead of several samples, this method is quite appealing to users on a limited budget

Development of a Methodology to Determine Antibiotic Concentrations in Water Samples Using High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography

Antibiotic concentrations are typically measured using solid-phase extraction along with liquid chromatography, but this process is not practical due to a large number of man hours involved. The use of a lyophilizer with high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) is an accurate and cost-effective method of analyzing antibiotics in water samples. An initial antibiotic analysis methodology was developed with the goal of concentrating antibiotics in water samples for greater detection; however, it was observed that the methodology required additional refinement to improve accuracy, particularly when manure was present in the water samples. Based on prior tetracycline antibiotic research, we hypothesized that sample preparation techniques and HLPC characteristics would influence our ability to detect these antibiotics in water samples. We anticipated that analysis of larger sample volumes would improve antibiotic detection while higher manure concentrations would decrease detection capabilities. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of a secondary sample preparation step (filtration), mobile phase solution, HPLC column, sample volumes, wavelengths, and manure concentrations on the recovery rates of three common antibiotics, specifically chlortetracycline (CTC), tetracycline (TC), and oxytetracycline (OTC). The study examined three filtration methods, two mobile phase solutions, two HPLC columns, five sample volumes, three wavelengths, and four manure concentrations. Best results were obtained with a mobile phase solution of acetonitrile with 0.05% formic acid, the Acclaim® RSLC C18 PA2 column, smaller sample volumes, and a wavelength of 356nm. This study highlighted some of the challenges associated with detecting antibiotics in water samples. The accurate detection of antibiotics in water samples is an important step in developing and testing methods to reduce antibiotic transport in the environment

Designing Contour Weep Berms to Reduce Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution

Nonpoint source pollution (NPS) of surface waters is a significant issue in agricultural lands, and best management practices (BMPs) are often used to reduce these impacts. Since the effectiveness of a BMP depends on a large number of widely varying factors, it is important to continue to develop BMPs in order to provide designers with more tools to use to maximize NPS removal. The contour weep berm is a new structural BMP constructed out of earth and subsequently vegetated. It is a linear BMP that is used in combination with a down-gradient vegetated filter strip or forested riparian buffer. Preliminary field evaluations of the contour weep berm indicate it is effective at reducing runoff volumes and peaks, promoting infiltration, and reducing sediment concentrations in runoff. Procedures for designing a contour weep berm are presented along with a design example. Linear BMPs, such as the contour weep berm, can provide producers with another means of effectively controlling NPS

Spoil Type Influences Soil Genesis and Forest Development on an Appalachian Surface Coal Mine Ten Years After Placement

Surface mining for coal (or other mineral resources) is a major driver of land-use change around the world and especially in the Appalachian region of the United States. Intentional and well-informed reclamation of surface-mined land is critical for the restoration of healthy ecosystems on these disturbed sites. In Appalachia, the pre-mining land cover is predominately mixed hardwood forest, with rich species diversity. In recent years, Appalachian mine reforestation has become an issue of concern, prompting the development of the Forestry Reclamation Approach, a series of mine reforestation recommendations. One of these recommendations is to use the best available soil substitute; however, the characteristics of the “best” soil substitute have been an issue. This study was initiated to compare the suitability of several types of mine spoil common in the Appalachian region: brown sandstone (Brown), gray sandstone (Gray), mixed spoils (Mixed), and shale (Shale). Experimental plots were established in 2007 with each spoil type replicated three times. These plots were planted with a mix of native hardwood species. Ten years after plot construction and planting, tree growth and canopy cover were highest in Brown, followed by Shale, Mixed, and Gray. Soil conditions (particularly pH) in Brown and Shale were more favorable for native tree growth than Mixed or Gray, largely explaining these differences in tree growth and canopy cover. However, soil chemistry did not clearly explain differences in tree growth between Brown and Shale. These differences were more likely related to differences in near-surface soil temperature, which is related to soil color and available shade