Agriculture Archives - Center for Watershed Protection

Green Infrastructure Assessments for Coastal Resilience

The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) and Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) were awarded a Michigan Coastal Management Grant to assess locations to build coastal resilience in Southeast Michigan. Through this grant, the project team coordinated with communities to identify high-priority, publicly-owned properties and assess feasibility for green infrastructure. Southeast Michigan has an extensive coast, spanning 400 miles of Great Lakes shoreline from Lake Huron to Lake Erie connected by the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River. It is shared by four coastal counties (St Clair, Macomb, Wayne, and Monroe) and 37 coastal communities. [...]

admin2023-05-24T10:35:14-04:00May 23rd, 2023|

Research, Implementation and Guidance on Roadside Ditch Management in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

A 2016 report from the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee found that improved management of the roadside ditch network could be a cost-effective means of reducing pollution from roads, developed areas, and farmland in many rural and/or un-regulated portions of the Bay watershed. Following the release of this report, the Center for Watershed Protection participated in a Chesapeake Bay Roadside Ditch Management Team to discuss a path forward for defining, crediting and verifying this group of practices. The Center has continued to advance the practice of roadside ditch management through research, implementation and development of guidance. Several [...]

admin2019-07-30T12:24:14-04:00July 29th, 2019|

Expanding the Agricultural BMP Database

The Center has expanded the scope of peer-reviewed studies included in the Agricultural BMP Database. The Agricultural BMP Database is a long-term collaborative effort of the Water Research Foundation, the National Corn Growers Association and the United Soybean Board that provides a central repository of scientifically-based information on the effectiveness of individual BMPs for reducing sediment and nutrient pollution from agricultural sites. The long-term goal of the database is to provide agricultural planners, consultants, and producers with information that enables them to better select BMPs for their operations and to support improvements in agricultural BMP design and implementation. The work [...]

admin2021-04-02T11:31:53-04:00January 11th, 2019|

Technical Support for Agricultural BMPs in the Mississippi River Basin

The Center recently wrapped up work funded by the Walton Family Foundation (WFF) to advance and inform the concept of a “common measure” for agricultural best management practices (BMPs) in the Mississippi River Basin. The common measure refers to a consistent method to credit water quality improvements from these BMPs and quantify their cumulative benefits as part of the multi-state strategy to eliminate hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. EPA’s Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan calls for the 12 states within the Mississippi River basin to produce agricultural nutrient loss reduction strategies to reduce nutrients to the Gulf of Mexico by [...]

admin2018-03-14T09:07:21-04:00March 13th, 2018|

Agricultural BMP Research Needs

I was asked by Karen Cappiella, the Center’s Research Director to write a blog on research needs related to agricultural BMPs. I figure she chose me because of my agrarian roots having started my career many moons ago working for one of the local Soil Conservation Districts. Also, I happen to be a team member on a project that we are doing for the Walton Family Foundation to help improve the nutrient reduction strategies in the upper mid-west. These strategies were developed in response to the call for action by the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force. Part of our [...]

admin2017-09-22T11:41:09-04:00August 31st, 2017|

Cover Crops: A Multipurpose Conservation Practice

In the Upper Mississippi River Basin, cereal rye is still king when it comes to cover crops. Additionally, this winter hearty grain is the focus of most of the water quality research done surrounding cover crops in this region. When it comes to cleaning up nutrient rich water causing Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico, state developed Nutrient Reduction Strategies are leaning on cover crops to help reduce nitrogen and phosphorus making it to the Mississippi River. Cereal rye is the “grass-based” cover crop forming the basis of the Nutrient Reduction Strategies for Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota. All of that [...]

Chris Swann2021-03-25T11:06:55-04:00April 24th, 2017|

Feeding the Future and Preserving Earth’s Natural Resources

Feeding the future and preserving earth’s natural resources can be achieved collectively, at least that’s our goal at UNIBEST. In Agriculture, we provide advanced soil testing technologies and services that are simple to use and cost effective for farmers and crop growers. Our soil testing product, Ag ManagerTM, has the ability to act just like a plant root and detect nutrients in the soil that are readily available to a plant or cropping system. This means that Ag ManagerTM can be used as a leading indicator of plant health and nutrition, detecting nutrient imbalances or deficiencies early in a plant’s [...]

Chris Swann2017-09-18T09:40:18-04:00July 14th, 2016|

Ag of Future Past

Ahhh, agriculture. We’ve been at it for quite a long time – and adapting the land as we go. Of course, the types of modifications range the gamut, but what we’ve done on the water management front is truly incredible. I remember being amazed while walking along a stream in Germany and hearing it was straightened by the Romans to square up the field and ease crop production. Additional land drainage techniques like ditches or subsurface tile are standard features in much of today’s landscape. My new home state of Illinois has approximately 35% of the agricultural land tile drained [...]

Sarah Morrow2021-03-25T11:05:06-04:00April 20th, 2016|