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Landowners and natural resource agencies are seeking to better understand the benefits of best management practices (BMPs) for addressing water quality issues. Using edge-of-field and edge-of-farm runoff analysis, we compared runoff volumes and water quality between small watersheds where BMPs (e.g., prescribed grazing, silvicultural practices) were implemented and control watersheds managed using conventional practices (i.e., continuous grazing, natural forest revegetation). Flow-weighted samples, collected over a 2-year period using automated samplers, were analyzed for nitrate/nitrite nitrogen (NNN), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total phosphorus (P), ortho-phosphate phosphorous (OP), total suspended solids (TSS), and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Comparison of silvicultural planting to conventional reforestation practices showed a significant decrease in NNN loads (p < 0.05) but no significant differences in TKN, P, OP, TSS, or E. coli. Continuously grazed sites yielded >24% more runoff than sites that were under prescribed grazing regimes, despite receiving less total rainfall. Likewise, NNN, TSS, and TKN loadings were significantly lower under prescribed grazing management than on conventionally grazed sites (p < 0.05). Data suggests that grazing BMPs can be an effective tool for rapidly improving water quality. However, silvicultural BMPs require more time (i.e., >2 years) to establish and achieve detectable improvements.
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Efficacy of Heavy Use Area Protection (HUAP) Pads in Poultry Farm
This research focuses on the efficiency of recommended heavy use area protection (HUAP) pads installed in poultry houses utilizing the Choptank River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay watershed is severely affected by crop agriculture and poultry feeding operations. Water quality degradation along with scarcity of water is a significant concern in this area, suggesting a need for changes in both environmental and groundwater management practices. Our objective in this study was to compare the efficiency of HUAP in reducing litter spillage and nutrient runoff between two poultry houses, one of which was constructed in 2005 and the other in 2009. The poultry house constructed in 2005 did not have HUAP pads initially; they were built in 2006. The poultry house built in 2009 had the pads from the starting point. We collected soil and water samples each month and analyzed them for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), nitrate, nitrite, total nitrogen, phosphate, and other soil properties throughout the year. The pH of soil and water samples was in the range of 6.8–8.0 and 6.5–7.2, respectively. We collected six water samples in total in the ditch, from points at retention ponds near the farm ditch to sites in wooded areas on the farm. Water sample B (where ditch water meets retention pond water from the poultry farm) had the highest EC value and nitrate, nitrite, and total nitrogen concentrations compared with other water samples. The subsequent water samples downstream had reduced loads of nutrients. The study results suggest that there was a minimum carryover of nutrients from soil into the runoff water, storm ditches, and adjacent stream. There was also a minimal effect of house cleaning and storm events in raising the concentration of nutrients in soil and water samples at our study sites. The older poultry site had higher total nitrogen and phosphorous surrounding the pads, whereas no elevated levels of nutrients were identified at the newer site. The ability of HUAP pads to hold onto contaminates decreases with age and use. This study also shows that the impacts from poultry activities on surface and groundwater can be minimized by using management practices such as HUAP pads. These practices can reduce pollution in the farm, increase productivity, and save farmers and ranchers time and money in the long run.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1757353
- PAR ID:
- 10331393
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Agriculture
- Volume:
- 11
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2077-0472
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 154
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11020154
