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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 2017)
4 CapitalPress.com February 3, 2017 Dairy farmers tackle water quality challenges By STEVE WERBLOW For the Capital Press Using an innovative online tool to schedule late winter and early spring manure applica- tions, Terry and Troy Lenssen of Lenssen Dairy in Lynden, Wash., can give soil microbes a chance to convert slurry nutri- ents into plant-available forms before spring growth starts in earnest, while also protecting local waterways from runoff of nutrients and bacteria. The Application Risk Man- agement tool — known by the acronym ARM — developed by the Whatcom Conservation District uses a complex for- mula to analyze local weath- er forecasts, soil type, crop Photos by Steve Werblow/For the Capital Press Terry Lenssen of Lynden, Wash., uses cover crops, forages, corn and careful planning to utilize nutrients from his cows’ manure while protecting local waterways from runoff. density, water table depth and other variables to determine whether the risks of runoff or leaching are low enough to permit a manure application. ARM protects more than the creek and the commercial shell- fish beds downstream — it pro- Jill has Whatcom County dairy producers must use several tools to harvest the benefits of manure while protecting local waterways and groundwater from excess nutrients. tects the Lenssens’ bottom line. “We got better yields on grass by at least 1.5 tons per acre on fields we were going out on earlier,” said Terry Lenssen. To qualify to use ARM, the Lenssens worked with district staff to conduct a risk analysis, update their state-mandated nutrient management plan, and establish a monitoring program with sampling wells at one-, two- and three-foot depths. The monitoring wells indicated that using the tool helped the broth- ers reduce nitrate leaching, says Lenssen. The Lenssens’ 260 acres of forage crops utilize the nutri- ents from three to four applica- tions of manure per year. Heavy growth and mild winter weath- er generally yield five cuttings per year, cycling nutrients back to their 710 cows. The brothers also practice “relay cropping.” As they culti- vate 270 acres of corn ground in early summer, they blow on 30 to 50 pounds of grass seed per acre. After the corn is har- vested, a lush cover crop is already in place to protect soil from erosion, capture nutrients in the soil, and filter sediment from stormwater. The brothers apply manure, harvest the grass for forage in the spring, then plant corn again. “It’s usually winter Italian • DRINKING WATER • AGRICULTURAL • RAIN WATER Call for • SEPTIC Specials • INDUSTRIAL Call Jill or the parts staff for further details. We’ll even help fill out the paperwork! DON’T WAIT! This program may not last long! (541) 928-2937 1-800-982-1099 Ask our staff about Production Efficiency Programs. We can handle it! www.ErnstIrrigation.com • 503-633-1111 20179 Main St., St. Paul, OR 97137 31989 Cinema Way Tangent, OR Storage Solutions NEW LOCATION! BOUGHT. SOLD. CONSIGNED. Design of Effluent Handling Systems - Gates, Valves & Aerators New & Used Parts ALSO AVAILABLE! HYPRO Pumps and TeeJet spray system parts. See our full inventory at: www.jtisupply.com * All items subject to Energy Trust conditions and approval. Energy Trust Incentives subject to Energy Trust qualifications. All items limited to inventory on hand. Visit our website for information. Authorized BANJO Dealer IRRIGATION EQUIPMENT From Hwy 34, go north on Hwy 99E for a half mile • Aluminum Pipe • Certa-lok • Siphon Tubes • HDPE • Sand Media Filters • Wheel Lines • Pumps W17-2/#5 We DELIVER ANYWHERE! ryegrass or cereal rye,” said Lenssen. “They grow well over the winter, take manure in the spring, and they’re good feed.” The Lenssens are not alone in their concern about water quali- ty issues, said Steve Paulsen of the U.S. Environmental Protec- tion Agency’s National Health and Environmental Effects Re- search Laboratory in Corvallis, Ore. Paulsen works on EPA’s National Aquatic Resource Survey — known as NARS — which assesses the quality of U.S. streams, rivers, lakes, wet- lands and coastal waters. Paulsen noted that the 2016 NARS report shows 45 percent of America’s rivers and streams contain excess nutrients; in the Pacific Northwest, 31 percent of the rivers and streams are high in phosphorous and just 12 percent have excess nitro- gen. Meanwhile, approximate- ly 23 percent of the nation’s rivers and streams — including 8 percent in the West — exceed thresholds for enteroccoci, bac- teria that include E. coli. “It’s exciting to see that farmers like the Lenssens are finding protection of water qual- ity is a big plus for their opera- tions,” Paulsen said. “As more and more farmers discover this and apply innovative strategies, we expect to see the pollution numbers found in the national surveys improve.” www.pacsouthwestirr.com Carlos (209) 481-7677 Jim (209) 986-0099 W17-4/#18
