Hypoxia, Water Quality, and LandUse in the Mississippi River Watershed

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Green Lands, Blue Waters A Vision and Roadmap for
the Next Generation of Agricultural Systems
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Hansen, MN Exp Sta
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Farris et al, Iowa DNR
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Farris et al, Iowa DNR
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DNR
Farris et al, Iowa DNR
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Minnesota Harvested Soybean and Alfalfa Acreages
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Portion of total MN Crop land in Corn and Bean
Production
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Corn and Soybean Acreage6 County Southeast MN
Gyles Randall,2003
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Corn and Soybean acreage11 County South Central
Minnesota
Gyles Randall,2003
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Areas of annual Row cropping
April 5 - 18
Areas of perennial vegetation
May 3 - 16
2002 Growing Season
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May 31 June 13
June 28 July 11
2002 Growing Season
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July 26 August 8
October 4 - 17
2002 Growing Season
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Cottonwood River WatershedPrecipitation and
Runoff
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Annual Tile Drainage Lossin Corn-Soybean
Rotation Waseca, 1987-2001
Gyles Randall, 2003
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Corn and Soybean Nitrate-N Loss Concentrations

• Tile drainage system
• U of MN - Lamberton

Gyles Randall, 2003
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(from Dinnes et al., 2002)
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Mississippi River Sedimentation
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Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico
Rabalais et al. 2000
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GOAL By the year 2015, subject to the
availability of additional resources, reduce the
5-year running

• average areal extent of the Gulf of Mexico
  hypoxic zone to less than 5,000 square kilometers

-25,000
-20,000
Square Kilometers
-15,000
-10,000
-5,000
-0
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Gulf Hypoxia
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Diversification of Agricultural Landscape Systems

Chippewa River
Wells Creek
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80 in cultivation and includes a portion of
Montevideo
Cultivated Land
Grassland
Deciduous Forest
Urban
Catchment size 17,994 ha
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Four Scenarios
A Extension of current trends Increased
field size, focus on annual crop production B
Adoption of best management practices
Shift to conservation tillage, use recommended
nutrient application rates,30 m riparian
buffers C Expand diversity Five year crop
rotation, more grazing Wetland restoration
D Managed year-round vegetative cover Cover
crops, increased managed grazing, prairie
restoration, 90 m buffers
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Surface Runoff
Wells
Chippewa
Creek
River
Change from Baseline ()
Scenario A
Scenario C
Scenario B
Scenario D
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Habitat and Bird Species Richness
From Best, L, et al. American Midland Naturalist,
Vol 134, No 1, July 95 (1-29
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Green Lands, Blue Waters

• A Vision and Roadmap for the Next Generation of
  Agricultural Systems

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Initiative Vision

• To improve water quality in the Mississippi
  River Basin, increase economic options and
  profitability for farmers, improve wildlife
  habitat, reduce flooding potential, strengthen
  vitality and quality of life of rural
  communities, and enhance human health.

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Initiative Mission

• To support development of and transition to a
  new generation of agricultural systems in the
  Mississippi River Basin that integrate more
  perennial plants and other continuous living
  cover into the agricultural landscape.

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Objectives Develop and promote
profitable enterprises

• Build Capacity of stakeholders regarding
  continuous living cover systems and water
  quality
• Significantly expand the knowledge base regarding
  continuous living cover systems and their impacts
  and potential
• Coordinate and build on related new and existing
  activities
• Heighten visibility and increase financial
  support of and focus on continuous living cover
  systems
• Identify and promote supporting policy changes

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Potential Ecosystem Services Provided by
Perennial Cropping Systems

• Nutrient Cycling, Flood Management, Natural Pest
  Management, Soil Health,Wildlife Diversity, Water
  Quality, Erosion Control, Carbon Management,
  Climate Mediation

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Grazing Systems

• Perennial ryegrass
• Winter hardiness, Seed production, Rotational
  grazing
• Illinois bundleflower and other native legumes
• Mixed warm season grass-rotational grazing
  systems

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Biomass Energy

• Willows, Salix sp.
• Alfalfa, Medicago sativa, JoAnn Lamb USDA-ARS St.
  Paul
• Perennial sunflower, Helianthus sp.
• Perennial flax, Linum perenne
• Native legumes, False indigo, Amorpha fruticosa

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Trees and Shrubs

• Willows, Salix sp.
• Decorative and energy
• Hybrid popular, Populus sp.
• Energy and fiber
• Hazelnuts, Corylus avellana x C. americana and C.
  cornuta
• Oil, confectionary, and energy

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Perennial Native Legumes

• 50 species preliminary evaluation
• Winter hardiness
• 10 species more detailed studies
• Production and selection
• Feeding trialsswine
• AntioxidantsFood, fuel, feed and cosmetics
• AntimicrobialFood, cosmetics and feed

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Oil Seed Crops

• Perennial flax, Linum sp.
• Perennial sunflower, Helianthus sp.

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Wetland Restoration

• Willow, Salix sp.
• Nitrogen harvesting, energy, water retention
• Native wetland species
• Unique industrial chemicals, wildlife
  habitat-hunting

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Cover Crops

• Red clover, Trifolium pratense
• Winter rye, Secale cereale, Paul Porter
• Brassica sp.
• Alfalfa, Medicago sativa
• Birdsfoot trefoil, Lotus corniculatus
• Native legumes

April 30, 1999
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Advantages to Production Agriculture

• Improve environmental performance
• Improve economic diversity/profitability
• Keep working lands working
• Adopt a non-regulatory, long term strategy

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Strategy 1

• Involve diverse stakeholders
• Audubon Society, Upper Mississippi Basin
  Initiative
• Iowa Farmers Union
• Illinois Stewardship Alliance
• Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
• The Land Institute
• Land Stewardship Project
• Minnesota Farmers Union
• Mississippi River Basin Alliance
• The Nature Conservancy, Upper Mississippi Basin
  Project
• The Practical Farmers of Iowa
• Trout Unlimited
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• US Environmental Protection Agency
• USDA/US Forest Service

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Strategy 2Engage land-grant institutions

• The University of Illinois
• Iowa State University, including the Leopold
  Center for Sustainable Agriculture
• Louisiana State University
• North Dakota State University
• University of Minnesota
• University of Wisconsin
• indicates collaborators who have signed
  letters of participation

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Strategy 3Organize at the Watershed, State
Basin Levels

• Watershed Learning Groups (CIG / EPA Grant
  Pending)
• Initially focus on two watersheds/state
• Develop learning groups
• State Coordinating Committees (Federal Leopold)
• Representatives from learning groups and the
  consortium
• Responsible for planning, implementing and
  monitoring in that state
• Multi-state consortium (Charter Partners
  McKnight)
• Land-grants, NGOs, and government agencies
• Responsible for overall planning, monitoring and
  budget oversight

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Strategy 4

• Targeting a portion of the most environmentally
  sensitive lands will maximize the environmental
  benefit
• Strategy 5
• Develop Supporting Infrastruture
• Market Technical Financial
  Social Human - Policy

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Strategy 6Imbed in Mainstream Thought

• Strategy 7Rely on Voluntary Approaches

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Ten-Year Outcomes

• Development of new crops, products, and
  associated markets for products of continuous
  living cover systems
• Increased continuous living cover on the
  agricultural landscape in the Mississippi River
  Basin
• Reduced N loading from agricultural production at
  the watershed level by 30
• Reduced number of impaired waters in the
  watersheds
• Increased migratory waterfowl and neo-tropical
  songbird populations at the watershed level by
  30 or more.
• Shrinkage of the hypoxic zone from its 2002 level

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Budget

• On the scale of
• 105 million over ten years

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• The Center for Integrated Natural Resources and
  Agricultural Management

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University of Minnesota
Agronomy Plant Genetics-COAFES
Forest Resources CNR
RESEARCH
OUTREACH
Applied Economics -COAFES
UMN Extension Services
EDUCATION
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Mission

• Partner based org. that catalyzes the development
  of integrated land use systems,
• linking the expertise of UMN with the experience
  and insights of partners leading to
• More diversified agricultural and natural
  resource production base
• Increased profitability for landowners
• Enhanced environment/ecosystem
• Strengthened rural communities

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Approach

• Providing profitable, feasible options to
  landowners
• Research on alternative herbaceous and woody
  perennials agroforestry systems
• Development of markets for alternative crops
• Estimate of economic benefits to society
• Development of policy support for alternative
  crops
• Leading to cumulative landscape change to
• Improve water quality and storage
• Provide environmental and economic benefits to
  society and,
• Financial benefits to landowners and rural
  communities

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Integrated approach (CSREES)
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CINRAM - Current activities

• Integrated watershed management in the Minnesota
  River Basin
• CSREES Project
• LCMR Project
• IREE (Rahr malting)
• CATIE partnership (Watershed work)
• Palm Project - Certification (CEC-UMN)
• AFTA Conference 2005
• Aveda corporation (essential oils, anti-oxidants)
• Green lands, blue waters

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www.greenlandsbluewaters.org
Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS