Why Are We Here?

Tom ChristensenRegional Conservationist

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Managing Water, Harvesting ResultsAmerica’s Ag Water Management

SummitOctober 11 – 12, 2011

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Why Are We Here?Increase voluntary adoption of drainage water management as part of a conservation system

How?Through a better understanding of:

• Lessons learned• Current situation• Barriers• Limitations• Opportunities• Assessments Needed

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Goals of Summit

• Understand drainage water management and its role in a conservation systems approach

• Provide exposure to current and evolving technologies and innovations

• Identify policy and programmatic barriers and opportunities

• Foster commitment to action among partners, including outreach and education

• Sound science must be the foundation for conservation.• Conservation works and can improve the economic bottom line.• Watershed and site-specific conservation planning are needed to

aid decision-making.• Targeting critical areas improves

effectiveness and efficiency.• Technical assistance is critical

to planning, implementation,and follow-up.

• Effective adaptive management,after implementation, is vital.

• Leadership and partnershipsmust be effective and sustainable.

What Have We Learned?

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Measuring the Environmental Benefits of Conservation:

Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP)

• CEAP is a multi-agency effort to quantify the environmental effects of conservation practices and programs and develop the science base for managing the agricultural landscape for environmental quality.

• Project findings are used to guide USDA conservation policy and program development and help conservationists, farmers and ranchers make more informed conservation decisions.

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Regions for CEAP Cropland Regional Assessments

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River Basin CEAP Reports Release Schedule*

• Upper Mississippi: Released in June 2010• Chesapeake Bay: Released in February 2011• Great Lakes:  Release is eminent• Ohio-Tennessee:  In review; followed by a 30-day review period;

then approximately 14 days addressing comments; then release per the Department.

• Missouri: Draft completed September 21, 2011 (then follows the same release procedure as the Ohio-Tennessee.)

• Arkansas-White-Red:  Draft completed October 7, 2011• Lower Mississippi:  Draft completed October 28, 2011• Northwest : All three are on schedule to be released by January 2012.• South Atlantic/Gulf, Northeast, Texas Gulf, and Pacific: All

three are on schedule to be released by January 2012

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* This schedule is subject to change due to two forces:1. Sometimes reviewers will find items they would like to be considered and NRCS explores

them prior to release of a final public document. 

2. The Department determines the timing of the release. 

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What CEAP Reveals in the Upper Mississippi River Basin

Conservation Practices WorkCompared to no conservation practices:

–Sediment loss reduced by 69%–Total phosphorous loss reduced by 49%–Total nitrogen loss reduced by 18%–Pesticide risks to human health reduced by 48%

Comprehensive Planning is Needed–Surface nitrogen losses reduced by 46% BUT subsurface losses are reduced by only 5%–Without nutrient management practices, erosion control practices can increase subsurface

nitrogen losses by re-routing surface water to subsurface flow pathways

Significant Progress Made in Reducing Erosion and Sedimentation–45% of the cropland and 72% of highly erodible land has structural practices–Edge of field sediment loss reduced by 69%–In-stream sediment reduced by 37%

NRCS Landscape Initiatives• Initiatives have national or regional significance and

focus on critical resource concerns at the landscape level– Build on existing locally-led efforts and are partnership

driven– Dedicated funding to accelerate implementation– Science-based– Assessment of performance and environmental outcomes

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NRCS Expectations for ADWM• Not about draining new acres• Focus is managing drainage water for improved

environmental outcomes and sustaining crop production

• Use a conservation systems approach—ADWM with nutrient management, conservation tillage, crop rotations, cover crops, etc.

• Consideration must be given to watershed/landscape context—downstream flow, flooding, groundwater

• Partnerships and collaboration will be essential—research, demonstration, technical and financial assistance, assessment and evaluation, etc.

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Water Quality and a

Conservation Systems Approach

• A conservation systems approach implements multiple practices and management techniques that work together to address water quality nutrient issues at the edge of farm fields

• Practices– Core– Supporting

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The Conservation Planning ProcessEnerg

y

Climate Change

Plants

Soil Water

Animals

Air

Conservation Planning

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AvoidingNutrient management

Rate, Timing, Form, Method

ControllingResidue and tillage

managementDrainage water

management

TrappingBuffersWetlands designed for

nutrient removal

Nutrients: Avoiding, Controlling, Trapping (ACT)

Avoiding

Trapping

Controlling

ACT

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Management of Ag Drainage WaterNRCS Ad Hoc Action Team

(Phase I)Timeframe – September 2010 to February 2011

Sponsorship – RC, S&T, SSRA, Programs

Leadership – Bill Gradle, Illinois State Conservationist

Team Members –

11 NRCS employees from NHQ, Centers and States

Charge – Current use of ADWM

– Barriers to adoption of ADWM

– Lessons learned from adoption to date

– Strategic action recommendations to increase adoption of ADWM

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Management of Ag Drainage Water

NRCS Action Team(Phase II)Timeframe – April 2011 to April 2013

Sponsorship – RC, S&T, SSRA, Programs

Leadership – Paul Sweeney, Senior Project Leader Bismarck, North Dakota

Team Members – 18 NRCS employees from NHQ, Technical Centers and States

Advisors:• Jane Frankenberger

• Purdue University• Norm Fausey

• USDA-ARS • Wayne Skaggs

• NC State University

– 2 Drainage Specialists – 5 Engineers– 3 Soil Scientists– 2 Program Managers– 2 Resource Conservationists– 1 Biologist– 1 Nutrient Management Specialist– 1 LIDAR/GIS Specialist– 1 Conservation Modeler (CEAP/APEX)

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Management of Ag Drainage Water

NRCS Action Team(Phase II)

Charge:• Evaluate Phase I recommendations for

feasibility and priority• Develop and implement NRCS Action Plan with

partner input and involvement• Help formulate and conduct National Summit• Stimulate innovation and creativity• Evaluate progress, performance and outcomes

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Partner Input

• Periodic meetings/conference calls on draft NRCS Action Plan and issues/opportunities– March 23, 2011– June 15, 2011– October 11-12, 2011 (National Summit)

• Website to share materials• CEAP Results—Upper Mississippi and

ADWM Scenario• Training Opportunities—MRBI Focus

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Next Steps• Finalize and implement NRCS Action

Plan– Supported by State-level action plans

• Outreach to ag community– Local, state and national

• Education and training of technical providers

• Foster and promote innovation• Assess/evaluate progress and “practice

adaptive nutrient management”• Keep conservation systems approach at

the forefront

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Partnership Opportunities

Sustainable, environmentally friendly, safe food production

• By 2050 there will be 2.4 billion more people to feed.

• 2007 National Resources Inventory (NRI) tells us that U. S. cropland acreage dropped by 63 million acres between 1982 and 2007.

– From 420 million acres to 357 million acres

• To close the gap between current food production and future food demand, food output will need to increase by 70 percent over the next 4 decades.

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Loss of Agricultural Land

Loss of Agricultural Land

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“We cannot depend on windshield surveys and office planning to carry out a job of the complexity and magnitude of safeguarding our farmland and controlling floods.”

- Hugh Hammond Bennett

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