March 6, 2002 Abstract- "Farmer Behavior
and Phosphorus Management "
March 6, 2002 View the Powerpoint Presentation
; Download the Presentation
March 6, 2002 Roundtable Minutes
Conclusions & Resolutions
- Educational and regulatory programs directed to water quality protection
and improvement in agricultural watersheds must focus on those farms
that are at the tail end of the distribution of behavior histograms
(see slides).
- There will be no blanket recommendations for remediation of the farm-phosphorus-water
quality issue. Solutions need to be farm- and management-specific.
- Manure management recommendations have been lacking on a spatial (landscape,
field, and sub-field) scale.
Issues to Resolve
- Identification and treatment of both sources of P as well as delivery
mechanisms of P should be treated with equal importance.
- Constraints to the adoption of "improved" manure management
practice are often beyond the control of farmers.
- Can water quality improvements be realized by focusing efforts solely
on producers that are at the tail end of the tail end of the distribution
curve?
- Does a need for an overall effort exist as well?
- Are all farms at the tail end of the curve critical sites/bad actors?
- The scale of adoption of improved management practices needed to result
in improved water quality.
Research & Information Needs
- Methods for identification of farms on the tail end of the behavior/adoption
distribution curve.
- Methods for reaching these farms and encouraging management changes.
- Increased promotion of the physical benefits of manure additions to
cropland.
- Alternative uses of manure (energy, etc.).
- Analysis of the risks and benefits to individual agricultural operations
of improved manure management practices.
- Environment, economic, etc.
- Chemical treatments of manure and the potential benefits to manure
management.
- Documentation of the water quality impact of farms on the "tail
end of the curve."
- Cost-effective manure application technology.
- Models on the impact of management practices on P delivery.
- Labor requirements to improved manure management.
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