Some of us measure a career in terms of years. Ron Graber, extension watershed specialist for Kansas State University, uses a whole different yardstick.
“When we start a career, we hope to make a difference,” said Graber. For him, that success is measured in innovative partnerships, successful management strategies, and improved water quality.
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The Soil Health Nexus is excited to debut two new resources on the Soil Health Toolbox. Two Soil Health Nexus members, Francisco Arriaga, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Anna Cates, State Soil Health Specialist at the University of Minnesota, recently published a long-awaited whitepaper exploring the connection between soil health and water quality.
“While there has been a lot of work linking farm management practices with soil health or water quality, few have looked at the connection to both soil and water quality,” notes Cates. “Generally, management systems that lead to better soil health result in decreased risk to water quality, but that is not the case in all conditions or for all management systems. What works in one field for both soil health and water quality might not be the best option for another field. This whitepaper explores those intricacies so educators can better recognize and communicate when the relationship isn’t positively correlated.”
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A new center focusing on Extension and research activities in the conservation and stewardship of Michigan’s lakes and streams is being developed by water professionals and Extension educators at Michigan State University. The Center for Lakes and Streams will consolidate the many programs MSU Extension and its partners offer to residents and user groups throughout the state and work with campus faculty and specialists, state agencies, other Universities, decision makers, agricultural producers and nonprofit, community, and riparian organizations to provide the most current information on the state of Michigan’s inland waters.
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What mental image comes to mind when you think of boating in Ohio? Perhaps it is sailing and powerboating on the shores of Lake Erie, or jet skiing on Alum Creek Lake outside Columbus, or maybeRead More…
Rebecca North grew up on the shores of the Bay of Quinte in Belleville Ontario, a picturesque location off the coast of Lake Ontario. Known as the ‘heart of the sea and the river’ it has reputation for sailing, walleye fishing, and harmful algal blooms or HABs. “I grew up swimming in the Bay as a kid. Now, people don’t even let their dogs near it,” notes North when she talks about her hometown. For North, growing up on the water instilled in her not only a love for water, but also a fascination with phytoplankton.
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When Amber Radatz took an internship with the Wisconsin Discovery Farms program in 2004, she had no idea how the experience would change her life. Dennis Frame – a co-founder of the Discovery Farms Program –Read More…
Story by Catherine DeLong After I completed my undergraduate degree, I decided to put off adulthood one more year, and joined Americorps in the Southwestern US. It was a great decision. For half a year IRead More…
Story by Heather Raymond, Ohio State University Water Quality Initiative Director Across 20 counties within the western Lake Erie basin a new team of Extension water quality associates is partnering with farmers to help advance soilRead More…
The Discovery Farms Annual Conference is back. This year we will utilize our robust dataset from water quality monitoring over the last 20 years to assess tradeoffs of on-farm management decisions. Mitigating risk to water qualityRead More…
This year, Robin Salverson has collected and analyzed over 200 water samples from farms across South Dakota. Robin is a Cow/Calf Field Specialist with South Dakota State University Extension and coordinator of the Livestock Water QualityRead More…