BMP CHALLENGE Experience:Cannon River Watershed Partnership

Information provided by:Dave LegvoldExecutive DirectorCannon River Watershed Partnership

Experiences

Partnership Mission

To protect and improve the surface and ground water resources as well as natural systems ofthe watershed through:

*Education

*Advocacy

*Monitoring and scientific analysis

*Conservation

Experiences

Agriculture Management

Current Three-legged Stool of Management:

IncentivesFarm program counter-incentives

Education Private-public mix of messages

RegulationAlmost absent (exception – feedlots)

Agriculture Management

Experiences

Total Resource Management

Connects producers with specific operations in their local area as experts.

Centered on farm management systems

Linked to federal, state and local funding and resources

Focused on achieving non-point source load reduction through increased adoption of agriculture BMPs

Agriculture Management

Experiences

Crop Nutrient Management – Manure Application

• U of MN recommendations for N and P

• Regular soil testing

• Manure testing

• Manure injection & incorporation

• Adjust manure rates to P uptake rather than N need and apply additional N as needed

Agriculture Management

Experiences

Erosion Control

• Rotational average 30% surface crop residue

• “Studies show that targeted conservation practices on 7% to 10% of land in a watershed can reduce sediment delivery by up to 70%”

- Tom Vilsack

• Use innovation to reduce tillage and retain residue

Experiences

Agriculture Management

Re-balancing the Three-legged Stool of Management:

IncentivesConnecting to farmers by starting with their

farming system(s)

Education Prime, package and publicize

Regulation to RecognitionSuccessful voluntary adoption is the better way

Experiences

2006 Experiences

Education

Brian Brandt

Nutrient and Tillage Workshop

July 12, 2006

Experiences

2006 Experiences

Innovation

Experiences

2006 Experiences

Adoption

Row-incorporated low rate manure application at 1500 gallons/acre.

Experiences

2006 Experiences

Results

Tillage Cost Savings Calculation

1. Tillage cost per acre, Check Strip $ 13.23 per acre

2. Tillage cost per acre, Reduced Tillage acres $ 5.00 per acre

3. Net tillage cost savings (item 1 minus item 2) $ 8.23 per acre

Net Economic Return Calculation

4. Reduced Tillage BMP Strip yield per acre 83.2 bu/acre

5. Check Strip yield per acre 158.2 bu/acre

6. Value of BMP Strip yield (Line 3 times $2.20) $ 183.04 per acre

7. Value of Check Strip yield (Line 4 times $2.20) $ 348.04 per acre

8. Value differential (Line 6 minus item 7) $ -165.00 per acre

9. Net economic return (Line 3 plus item 8) $ -156.77 per acre

If Line 9 is greater than zero, no performance guarantee payment is needed. Go to farmercontribution, Line 11. 5.3 acres at $156.77/acre= $830.88

Try a better way…with support from the BMP CHALLENGE!

Experiences

2006 Experiences