A Four Year Summary of Maquoketa Watershed Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Manure Management Field Demonstrations

Beginning in crop year 2000, 56 producers in the Maquoketa River, Elk River and Mud Creek watersheds of eastern Iowa hosted 74 on-farm nutrient management field demonstrations. Producers participated by hosting demonstrations that evaluated the effectiveness of manure as a source of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and compared several rates of N and P in a corn following soybeans rotation

Providing service and suport to watershed improvement projects accress Iowa

Nonpoint source nutrient pollution from agriculture entering Iowa’s surface water bodies (Figure 1) is a problem for impaired local watersheds throughout the Corn Belt, and as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River drains 40 percent of the continental US and carries almost 140 cubic miles of water yearly (Libra 1998). The U.S. Geological Survey estimated an average of 1.65 million tons/year of nitrogen (N) were exported into the Gulf of Mexico from 1987-1996 causing a condition called hypoxia (Libra 1998). Hypoxia, also known as a dead zone, is an area where water has no or very little oxygen necessary for fish and other marine life. Nitrogen accelerates the production of marine phytoplankton whose life cycle consumes oxygen previously available for fish and shrimp (Libra 1998). Estimates in 1996 suggested that Iowa supplied on average almost 25 percent of the nitrate-N to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River; much of it from agricultural land-use practices (Libra 1998)

Performance-Based Management to Improve Water Quality

In recent years water quality assessments and the science of water quality management have progressed much more rapidly than delivery of this information and implementation of strategies for performance-based water quality improvement. Nonpoint source water quality improvements and solutions on the broad landscape need new approaches that lead to a majority of producers in a watershed community working to manage nonpoint source contaminants and jointly developing locally acceptable environmental stewardship goals

Cost-Effective, Performance-Based Environmental Management

Iowa has over 19,000 miles of interior rivers and streams, numerous lakes and other natural resources and considerable agricultural production capacity. With such an extensive network of water bodies running through the state it is no surprise that experts have estimated that 90% of Iowa water quality issues are attributed to agricultural land and related activities. This nonpoint source contamination often results from long term actions and will take a long time for measurable outcomes

Corn Response to Nitrogen Rates

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nitrogen (N) fertilization responses of four differing hybrids each year, rotated with soybeans, over a 3-yr period. Multiple rates of N fertilizer were spring applied, with the intent to measure yield response to N and nitrate concentrations at the end of the growing season. This allows the determination of N requirements for each corn hybrid and evaluation of N management practices over time

Providing service and suport to watershed improvement projects accress Iowa

Nonpoint source nutrient pollution from agriculture entering Iowa’s surface water bodies (Figure 1) is a problem for impaired local watersheds throughout the Corn Belt, and as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River drains 40 percent of the continental US and carries almost 140 cubic miles of water yearly (Libra 1998). The U.S. Geological Survey estimated an average of 1.65 million tons/year of nitrogen (N) were exported into the Gulf of Mexico from 1987-1996 causing a condition called hypoxia (Libra 1998). Hypoxia, also known as a dead zone, is an area where water has no or very little oxygen necessary for fish and other marine life. Nitrogen accelerates the production of marine phytoplankton whose life cycle consumes oxygen previously available for fish and shrimp (Libra 1998). Estimates in 1996 suggested that Iowa supplied on average almost 25 percent of the nitrate-N to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River; much of it from agricultural land-use practices (Libra 1998).</p

Performance-Based Management to Improve Water Quality

In recent years water quality assessments and the science of water quality management have progressed much more rapidly than delivery of this information and implementation of strategies for performance-based water quality improvement. Nonpoint source water quality improvements and solutions on the broad landscape need new approaches that lead to a majority of producers in a watershed community working to manage nonpoint source contaminants and jointly developing locally acceptable environmental stewardship goals.</p

Corn Response to Nitrogen Rates

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nitrogen (N) fertilization responses of four differing hybrids each year, rotated with soybeans, over a 3-yr period. Multiple rates of N fertilizer were spring applied, with the intent to measure yield response to N and nitrate concentrations at the end of the growing season. This allows the determination of N requirements for each corn hybrid and evaluation of N management practices over time.</p

A Four Year Summary of Maquoketa Watershed Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Manure Management Field Demonstrations

Beginning in crop year 2000, 56 producers in the Maquoketa River, Elk River and Mud Creek watersheds of eastern Iowa hosted 74 on-farm nutrient management field demonstrations. Producers participated by hosting demonstrations that evaluated the effectiveness of manure as a source of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and compared several rates of N and P in a corn following soybeans rotation.</p

Cost-Effective, Performance-Based Environmental Management

Iowa has over 19,000 miles of interior rivers and streams, numerous lakes and other natural resources and considerable agricultural production capacity. With such an extensive network of water bodies running through the state it is no surprise that experts have estimated that 90% of Iowa water quality issues are attributed to agricultural land and related activities. This nonpoint source contamination often results from long term actions and will take a long time for measurable outcomes.</p