Project Overview

Vegetative buffer located adjacent to the drainage ditch after the third year of establishment.

The Huelskamp Creek Watershed is located fifteen miles north of New Ulm, Minnesota, a city of 15,000 people within Nicollet County. Huelskamp Creek flows into the Minnesota River, which, in turn, flows into the Mississippi River.

Adam surveyed farmers over a three year period, measured water quality, and helped farmers implement a variety of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the Huelskamp Creek watershed. BMPs implemented by farmers included conservation tillage, riparian buffer strips, nutrient management practices and tile drain management practices.

Keys to BMP Adoption:

Soybean field left undisturbed after harvest. The end-rows were tilled to reduce soil compaction.

Based on the surveys and his interactions with farmers, Adam identified the following factors that influence adoption of BMPs:

• Size of farm and time required for BMP
• Age of farmer
• Amount of capital available
• Type of equipment available
• Likelihood that adoption will increase yields or profitability
• What the neighbors or relatives think
• Awareness of water quality impacts
• Influence of the local agronomist
• Farmer participation is dependent on support from local agronomists and county personnel
• The types of BMPs implemented are best developed in one-on-one conversations with farmers and discussions about their specific management systems
• It takes a long time to see effects of BMPs on water quality

Study Results and Implications

Vegetative buffer planted on both sides of the drainage ditch shown during the first year of establishment.

Statistical analysis suggested that the BMPs did not influence sediment and phosphorus delivery at the watershed scale.

Based on conclusions made from similar studies, factors such as the short duration of the BMP implementation period, rate and location of BMP adoption, precipitation patterns, and cumulative watershed effects may have influenced the observed trends.

Longer monitoring periods following BMP implementation are needed to adequately evaluate the effectiveness of the practices implemented in this study. Computer models could be used to overcome some of the limitations associated with this study. However, the findings in this study provide a real-world context for gaining an understanding of the processes and time scales involved in meeting target load reductions in the TMDL planning process.

For more information on BMPs: BMPsexplainedadam.doc (Word document)

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