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Conservation dairy farming impact on water quality in a karst watershed in northeastern US

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  • Amin, M.G. Mostofa
  • Karsten, Heather D.
  • Veith, Tamie L.
  • Beegle, Douglas B.
  • Kleinman, Peter J.

Abstract

One crucial challenge of agriculture is to increase productivity to feed the continuously growing population without deteriorating soil, water, and environmental quality. More emphasis on improved efficiencies, appropriate management of agricultural systems, and improved agronomic and nutrient use practices are needed to address this challenge. A conservation dairy farming system that produces the majority of the dairy feed and forage crops, with no-till, continuous diversified plant cover, and manure injection has recently been developed and tested in Pennsylvania, but the effect of this newly developed cropping system on nonpoint source pollution at the watershed scale is yet to be investigated. Topo-SWAT, a variation of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), was used to simulate nutrient and sediment loading processes of four dairy farming scenarios that differed in land area and implemented different feed production and nutrient input strategies: (i) forage crop production only and no best management practice (no-BMP scenario); (ii) forage production only and typical Pennsylvania management, which includes some no-till and cover cropping (typical scenario); (iii) forage and feed crop production with conservation management with broadcast manure (conservation-BM scenario); and (iv) forage and feed crop production with conservation management with injected manure (conservation-IM scenario). The conservation-IM scenario was the most effective for reducing total nutrient (42% N and 51% P) and sediment (41%) load in the watershed. The typical scenario also reduced nutrient and sediment load compared to the no-BMP scenario. Both conservation scenarios significantly reduced the number of in-stream peaks of organic N (73–82%), nitrate-N (43–47%), organic P (41–50%), and soluble P (62–70%) concentration compared to the typical scenario. Introduction of manure injection hindered runoff-mediated loss of nutrients but not leaching. Both conservation scenarios also decreased nitrous oxide emission by reducing denitrification. Additionally, manure injection retarded 91% of the N volatilization that occurred in manure broadcast scenario. The watershed scale study indicates that implementation of the conservation scenarios can largely contribute to the initiatives of achieving a target total maximum daily load in the Chesapeake Bay.

Suggested Citation

  • Amin, M.G. Mostofa & Karsten, Heather D. & Veith, Tamie L. & Beegle, Douglas B. & Kleinman, Peter J., 2018. "Conservation dairy farming impact on water quality in a karst watershed in northeastern US," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 187-196.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:165:y:2018:i:c:p:187-196
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2018.06.010
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    1. Ribaudo, Marc & Kaplan, Jonathan D. & Christensen, Lee A. & Gollehon, Noel R. & Johansson, Robert C. & Breneman, Vincent E. & Aillery, Marcel P. & Agapoff, Jean & Peters, Mark, 2003. "Manure Management For Water Quality Costs To Animal Feeding Operations Of Applying Manure Nutrients To Land," Agricultural Economic Reports 33911, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Prakash Kaini & Kim Artita & John Nicklow, 2012. "Optimizing Structural Best Management Practices Using SWAT and Genetic Algorithm to Improve Water Quality Goals," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 26(7), pages 1827-1845, May.
    3. Amin, M.G. Mostofa & Veith, Tamie L. & Collick, Amy S. & Karsten, Heather D. & Buda, Anthony R., 2017. "Simulating hydrological and nonpoint source pollution processes in a karst watershed: A variable source area hydrology model evaluation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 180(PB), pages 212-223.
    4. Kemanian, Armen R. & Julich, Stefan & Manoranjan, Valipuram S. & Arnold, Jeffrey R., 2011. "Integrating soil carbon cycling with that of nitrogen and phosphorus in the watershed model SWAT: Theory and model testing," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(12), pages 1913-1921.
    5. John K. Horowitz & Lori Lynch & Andrew Stocking, 2009. "Competition-Based Environmental Policy: An Analysis of Farmland Preservation in Maryland," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 85(4), pages 555-575.
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    1. Hood, Raleigh R. & Shenk, Gary W. & Dixon, Rachel L. & Smith, Sean M.C. & Ball, William P. & Bash, Jesse O. & Batiuk, Rich & Boomer, Kathy & Brady, Damian C. & Cerco, Carl & Claggett, Peter & de Mutse, 2021. "The Chesapeake Bay program modeling system: Overview and recommendations for future development," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 456(C).

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