The University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science has released its annual Chesapeake Bay Report Card for 2019. Data and scoring is available by both indicator (dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, turbidity, etc) and region for the entire Bay Watershed.
The report card is available here.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Flow rates and time of year must be taken into account to better understand the potential risks posed by emerging organic contaminants in rivers and streams, according to Penn State researchers who studied contaminant concentrations and flow characteristics at six locations near drinking water intakes in the Susquehanna River basin.
While many studies have looked at the levels of emerging organic contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and pesticides in rivers and their effect on aquatic life, this is one of the first projects to closely correlate pollutant levels with flows, noted researcher Heather Preisendanz, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering.
Read full story here.
NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Feb. 10, 2020
CONTACT: Jessica Groskopf, Ag Economist, 308-632-1247
Nebraska Extension will sponsor a workshop on Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) insurance policies on Thursday (Feb. 13) at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center. The workshop will focus on how WFRP policies relate to sugarbeet producers.
The workshop will start at 9 a.m. in the Bluestem Room and will also be available as a live internet stream for those interested. Presenter will be Cory Walters, UNL Associate Professor of Ag Economics.
There is no fee, and it is expected to last about an hour. Bankers, sugarbeet producers, and insurance agents are welcome.
“There are been several questions from producers regarding WFRP policies,” said event organizer Jessica Groskopf, Ag Economist based at the Panhandle Center. “This is an opportunity for those with questions to get some clarification on how these policies work from unbiased crop insurance experts.”
Anybody who wants to stream the workshop via the internet should contact Groskopf at 308-632-1247, or email her at jgroskopf2@unl.edu to receive a link. Streaming the event will require a computer with a web browser and an internet connection with enough bandwidth to transmit streaming video.
Link to Flyer: Webinar Invitation – Moore 2.19.20
Presenter:
Dr. Richard Moore is Professor Emeritus of the School of Environment and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University. He is currently a senior fellow with the National Council for Science and the Environment in DC.
Abstract:
The webinar will describe the Sugar Creek Method used by a team of social and natural scientists at The Ohio State University who teamed up with three teams of local farmers (one non-Amish German descent, one Amish, and one combined) and the local SWCDs, Ohio EPA, and a cheese factory to improve water quality.
DATE: FEBRUARY 19, 2019 1:00 PM EASTERN TIME (US AND CANADA)
WEBINAR IS FREE BUT REGISTRATION IS
REQUIRED AT: https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BPYSB5puSw6BYWCpSs2x3A
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Please Join Us!
This report summarizes the key issues for agriculture and water that Verde Valley stakeholders identified in interviews and surveys over the first phase of the Water for Agriculture Project (spring 2018-summer 2019). The interviews revealed that stakeholders widely recognized farming and ranching as important to the history, character, culture, economy, environment, and future of the Verde Valley. They highlighted the challenges and opportunities in agriculture and water from the farm or ranch; to the watershed; all the way to state policy. The results of the stakeholder survey revealed that there are diverse information interests and a wide spectrum of data/knowledge gaps around water and agriculture. No issue or topic emerged with support from a clear majority of participants. Participants expressed the most interest in getting more information about water rights and settlements. They identified the greatest data/knowledge gap as best management practices at the parcel level (for example, for irrigation, pests, weeds, manure, soil, etc.).
News story featuring Water for Ag project: https://www.starherald.com/farm_ranch/penn-state-researcher-explores-public-engagement-water-for-agriculture/article_b470e1f1-6e4b-5dc8-a328-4a01c2bd6b13.html
This webinar describes a suite of collaborative modeling (CM) methods employed to assess and enhance the climate resiliency of snow-fed arid lands river systems in the Truckee-Carson River System in the western United States. In addition to reviewing the formative and summative evaluation results, lessons learned from this case study lend additional insight into the perks and pitfalls inherent to interdisciplinary knowledge co-production and emphasize the importance of evaluation to identify and empirically test best practices involving the selection and application of collaborative modeling methods.
Roger Rohrer, a poultry and crops farmer from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, shares his insights on creating rich habitat and cleaner water through riparian forested stream buffers.
