Jennifer Volk, Extension Environmental Quality and Management Specialist; jennvolk@udel.edu
The Chesapeake Bay Program’s Agriculture Workgroup hosted a 2-day “Building a Better Bay Model” workshop for agricultural partners across the watershed. The workshop, which was held May 22 and 23 at the University of Maryland’s Conference Center, informed participants about current model data inputs, assumptions, and processes and gathered feedback and suggestions on potential new data sources and approaches that could help the models to better characterize the agricultural sector in the future.
The Chesapeake Bay Program is a partnership made up of representatives from federal, state, and local governments, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and other groups with the common goal of restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay and the streams and rivers that drain to it. This group comes together to evaluate data, share best practices, report on progress, and make policy and management decisions intended to help achieve restoration goals. This group also informs the development and use of a suite of models used to simulate the effects of management actions on water quality. These models, which first went into use in the 1980s, have undergone changes over time to improve their precision, scope, complexity, and accuracy. However, the results of any model are only as good as the input data utilized and the partnership acknowledges the need to continuously evaluate and update data sources and assumptions. This workshop provided attendees an opportunity to participate in this evaluation process.
Participants with a crop expertise were able to attend tracks with an agronomic focus. In “Defining the Landscape,” session members discussed how the various agricultural land uses are currently defined and the other data and tools that may be available to more accurately characterize the acreage and location of specific crops and other agricultural land uses within the model. In the “Planting and Harvesting Crops” session, crop nutrient needs, crop yields, and application and uptake rates were discussed among other topics related to how cropping systems are characterized by the models. Finally, in the “Nutrient Placement and Usage” session, participants explored how both organic (manure generated by animals) and inorganic (commercial fertilizer) nutrients are applied to meet crop needs and what happens in the model if nutrients are over-applied.
There were also sessions focused on livestock with specific attention paid to accounting for the number of swine, dairy, and poultry; the volume and content of manure produced by each animal type; and how that manure is distributed across the landscape in the model. UD’s Dr. Jim Glancey and Bill Brown, our Poultry Extension Agent, were on hand to share their recent assessments of local data and how it compares to the information currently utilized in the model.
Within each session, recommendations were offered by participants on potential new data sources and resources that could be used to improve current model inputs and assumptions. These recommendations are currently being summarized and will be presented to the Agriculture Workgroup at their June 20 meeting. These recommendations will be explored by the partnership over the coming years and when appropriate and after thorough vetting, these new ideas and data sources will replace the outdated data and assumptions utilized today.
For only making up 1% of the land area contributing to the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware was well represented at this workshop with staff from the Department of Agriculture, NRCS, DNREC, and UD in attendance. More importantly though, several crop consultants and poultry industry representatives from our region and a Delaware farmer were there to offer their perspectives and knowledge of how agriculture truly functions in our state. For those interested, workshop materials and presentations are available to view or download at: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/S=0/calendar/event/20725/.
For more information or to discuss potential data sources that you are aware of, contact Jennifer Volk, Environmental Quality Extension Specialist, at 302-730-4000 or jennvolk@udel.edu.