The Current
Manitowoc Co. Soil & Water Conservation 2022 Winter Edition
It's Time to Sign Up for the 2022 Innovative Conservation Program
The Manitowoc County Soil and Water Conservation Department is once again offering incentive payments and technical assistance for producers interested in trying interseeding and installing harvestable buffers. "These incentive payments reduce the risk for producers who want to try out a practice and adapt it to their farm," says Education and Grants Manager, Tara Wachowski. "And, the beauty of being in year 2 of this program is we've already tried these practices locally. We learned what's working and ways to make the practices more successful." The department received the DATCP Innovative Grant for 2022. If a producer or landowner is interested in participating, it's important to contact the Soil and Water Department this winter and early spring to sign up.
What are the practices and how do they help protect soil and water quality?
Interseeding Trials:
- Alfalfa & Corn Silage: On the right fields with proper management, interseeding alfalfa is a good solution for those wanting to supply a mix of forage that boosts dairy-cow milk production and improve soil conservation and quality. In this system corn and alfalfa are planted at about the same time. The alfalfa acts as a cover crop during establishment in the corn silage and is brought to full forage production the following year. According to Dr. John Grabber, USDA Research Agronomist and interseeding expert, "Research in Wisconsin has shown that this establishment method has the potential to suppress weeds, reduce soil and nutrient loss from cropland, increase overall forage yields, and improve the profitability of corn silage-alfalfa rotations by about 15% under typical production conditions." Producers can receive $100/Acre up to 20 Acres.
- Cover Crop and Corn Silage: We've expanded cost-share eligibility to include cover crops interseeded into corn. A wet fall and shorter growing season can make it difficult to plant cover crops after corn silage harvest in our area, leaving fields bare and vulnerable to soil erosion. Interseeding cover crops into corn silage is one way to ensure a cover crop has time to establish and increase soil stability. In this practice corn is planted first and the cover crop is planted at the V5-V7 corn stage. Producers can receive $100/Acre up to 20 Acres.
Harvestable Buffers:
Installing harvestable buffers is a great option for Manitowoc County farmers who are looking to protect surface water while keeping land in production. These buffers help make low lands more productive and provide another source of forage for farmers. In addition to the filtration and additional forage benefits, the program is a way for local farmers to make a little extra revenue. Landowners have the option to enroll in the harvestable buffer program for 5, 10, or 15 years, and the incentive payments increase the longer each acre is in the program. Landowners are paid $175 per year for 5 years for every acre that is buffered, $200 for a 10 year commitment, and $225 for 15 years—all paid up front.
Contact Our Office at 920-683-4183 or email cheyennebehnke@manitowoccountywi.gov if you want more information and to sign up.
10-Year Average Total Phosphorus Levels in Manitowoc Co. Inland Lakes
Citizen Lake Monitors Help Inform Conservation Efforts
Citizen lake monitoring, a WI DNR program that relies on trained citizen volunteers to collect water quality data, is helping Manitowoc County identify surface water quality needs and monitor improvement efforts.
Volunteers collect water samples to monitor the chemistry, temperature and dissolved oxygen levels in the lakes. They also measure water clarity, using the Secchi Disk method, as an indicator of water quality. Samples are taken 3-4 times each year, May through September.
The graph above, shows changes in the average phosphorus levels in 17 Manitowoc County inland lakes during the past 10 years. On average, 9 of the 17 lakes meet water quality standards for Phosphorus levels and 8 are above water quality standards.
Phosphorus is an essential nutrient needed for plant growth, but too much of it in streams, rivers, and lakes can cause overgrowth of aquatic plants, increased harmful algal blooms, decreased light penetration and decreased levels of dissolved oxygen. Each of these conditions make it difficult for fish to live and people to swim, and negatively impacts property values, recreation, and public health.
Where Does Phosphorus In Surface Water Come From?
- POINT SOURCES: Phosphorus can be directly discharged to surface water from piped wastes such as municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants.
- NONPOINT SOURCES: Phosphorus runoff that occurs after heavy rains or melting snow wash over farm fields, feedlots, or urban areas and carry fertilizer, manure, soil, and other contaminants to lakes and streams.
- NATURAL SOURCES: Natural sources include naturally occurring soil erosion and runoff from woodlots and grassland.
What's Being Done to Improve Surface Water Quality in our County?
Conservation programs offered by Manitowoc County are a blend of education, voluntary programming, financial cost-share administration, and enforcing state rules and local ordinances. These efforts help to minimize soil loss from cropland and reduce delivery of sediment, nutrients, animal waste, and other pollutants to surface and groundwater.
Two major efforts are happening in the Pine Creek and CalMan Lakes watersheds. These watersheds contain Long, Carstens, Gass, Weyers, Hartlaub, and Kasbaum Lakes, and are under Nine Key Element Plans. Assistance and education from resource conservationists, along with cost-share funding, is helping landowners and operators in these areas install conservation practices such as grassed waterways and cover crops, which reduce the amount of nutrients entering surface water from runoff. For more information, visit: Watershed | Pine Creek Watershed | United States and CalMan Lakes Watershed Efforts | Calumet County, WI - Official Website
The County is also part of the Northeast Lakeshore (NEL) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) planning which focuses on addressing surface water quality impairments from phosphorus and total suspended solids. The NEL TMDL study area spans a portion of the Lake Michigan watershed from just south of Sturgeon Bay to Port Washington and reaches west towards Lake Winnebago. The plan will be submitted to the United States Environmental Protection Agency late summer/early fall 2022 and will likely generate additional funding to address both point and nonpoint source pollution. For more information visit: Northeast Lakeshore TMDL | Wisconsin DNR
How Can you Get Involved?
If you would like to get involved in Citizen Lake Monitoring efforts, visit: Citizen Lake Monitoring Network | Wisconsin DNR
Contact the Manitowoc County Soil and Water Conservation Department at 920-683-4183. Technical assistance and financial cost-share is available to install best management practices such as grassed waterways and buffers, interseeding, growing cover crops, writing nutrient management plans, and adding barnyard runoff control systems, among others. Cost-Share - Manitowoc County (manitowoccountywi.gov)
Welcome Our New Staff!
Angie Ulness New UW Madison Extension Ag Educator
Angie and her family have been operating a dairy farm in Manitowoc County since 2002. She has also been very active in our 4-H program, the Manitowoc County Breeders Association, a 4-H Dairy Judging Coach and a member of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin. Angie earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Dairy Science from the University of Wisconsin Madison and has 10 years of experience working in the Dairy Industry, both as a Regional Field Representative and a Senior Territory Manager.
To contact Angie: 920-683-4511 angieulness@manitowoccountywi.gov
Lindsey Hawig New Soil & Water Administrative Assistant & UW Madison Extension Program Assistant
My family and I live in rural Manitowoc County. I received my Associate Degree in Accounting from Lakeshore Technical College and my Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from UW- Green Bay. I am very active with the 4-H program and Heart A Rama committee. When I am not working with those organizations, my family and I enjoy going to different County Fairs along with State Fairs. I am excited to be a part of the Soil and Water Department team along with the UW Madison Extension team!
Nutrient Management Plans to Cheyenne Behnke!
Register now for the Soil Health and Cover Crop Forum: Improve Your Soil & Reduce Your Inputs
Join the Manitowoc County Forage Council at the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center on March 22nd from 10:00am - 2:00pm for the 5th Annual Soil Health and Cover Crop Forum.
Learn from WI experts & local farmers on ways to improve your soil while reducing your inputs.
Farmers receive a discount to attend! Registration is $5.00 thanks to the support from our sponsors. Use code FARMER when registering online.
Register online by March 11th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/244385342137
10:00 Welcome and Introductions
Soil Health: How to measure it, Why it’s important, & How it ties to profitability Cheyenne Behnke, Resource Conservationist with the Manitowoc County Soil and Water Conservation Department
Balancing Phosphorus Trade-Offs & Timing with Chelsea Zegler Ag Water Quality Outreach Specialist from Discovery Farms/Agriculture Water Quality Program
Interseeding: The Good, The Bad, The Money with Greg Gries from Libertyland Farms & Steve Hoffman from InDepth Agronomy
Lunch: Wisconsin Cookout Favorites, and Sponsor/Vendor Booths Open
Saving $ with Cover Crops: How to Know Your Nitrogen Credits, and Balancing your Nitrogen for better outcomes
Matt Ruark - UW Madison Department of Soil Soil Science
Local Farmer Panel: Ah-ha! Moments: What's working with Cover Crops, No-Till, and Soil
Health on Manitowoc County Farms
Thank you to our sponsors:
Manitowoc County Forage Council, Manitowoc County Soil and Water Conservation Department, USDA-Manitowoc County NRCS, Between the Lakes Demonstration Farm Network,
Register Now for the Forage Council Annual Meeting!
A Salty Situation
How Can you Help?
Believe it or not, just a coffee mug of salt is enough to treat an entire 20-foot driveway or 10 sidewalk squares. Scatter the salt so the pattern looks like the image above. Other strategies include:
Shovel: Clear walkways and other areas before the snow turns to ice. The more snow you remove manually, the less salt you will have to use and the more effective it will be.
Sweep: Sweep excess salt from walkways and parking lots after a snow event, especially before a rain event to prevent salt from washing down the storm drain to our waterways.
Switch: When pavement temps drop below 15, salt composed of sodium chloride won’t work. Switch to sand for traction or a different ice melter that works in lower temperatures.
One Good Idea Multimedia Clearing House, A Useful Resource!
We know changing farming practices can seem risky. Sometimes, all you need to start or succeed is to try that One Good Idea.
One Good Idea is a clearinghouse of videos and podcasts that feature farmers’ ideas and experiences with practices that are helping them improve their soil, land, and bottom lines – such as cover crops, no or low till, rotational grazing, and buffer strips, to name a few. It is where farmers can learn from farmers, and from non-farmer experts too, about how to be profitable and successful with these practices. Learn more here!