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Impact of Dairy Waste and Nutrient Management
on Shallow Groundwater Quality

Final Report - August 2002

 

Principal Investigator:
Thomas Harter
Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources
University of California, Davis / Kearney Ag. Center
One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616-8628
Phone (530) 752-2709; thharter@ucdavis.edu;
http://groundwater.ucdavis.edu

Other Investigators:
William R. Horwath, LAWR, UC Davis
Marsha C. Mathews, UCCE Stanislaus
Roland D. Meyer, LAWR, UC Davis

Project location: Eastern Merced and Stanislaus County

Commodity: Dairy, Forage Crops

Funding:

 
SAREP
Matching Funds / In-kind contributions*
 
Requested Funds
Amount
Total YEAR 1 (1999-2000)
$ 14,500
Total YEAR 2 (2000-2001)
$ 15,000
$3.6 Million

* Matching funds provided by California Dairy Research Foundation, UC Davis, and UC SAREP ($410K). In-kind contributions from students, student-interns, field labor, project investigators ($400K), farm cooperators (over $1,500K). Funding generated for related projects contributing directly to project objectives ($1,300K).

Objectives

An existing network of monitoring wells on five dairies in Stanislaus and Merced County is used for an integrated farming-groundwater study with the following objectives:

  1. Groundwater quality monitoring: provide baseline data on groundwater quality that can be used to determine future improvements in groundwater quality due to improved nutrient management and dairy operations practices on selected dairies.
  2. Nitrogen source loading to groundwater: determine the nature and extent of nitrate groundwater contamination under dairies and provide an improved understanding of the nitrogen pathways from various components of the dairy operation (corrals, ponds, spills, manure application to fields) and how these contribute to the degradation of groundwater quality (nitrogen loading to groundwater by source).
  3. Nutrient management impact: demonstrate and evaluate short-term as well as long-term changes in groundwater quality at shallow depths due to improved nutrient management within the dairy operation at selected field sites (joint with Mathews). This objective was recently expanded to include a preliminary regional impact assessment.
  4. Education and extension: educate dairymen and the communities in Stanislaus and Merced County, local and state regulatory agencies, and water management agencies on the impact of various nutrient management alternatives on groundwater quality and cooperatively develop sustainable solutions to protect groundwater quality from excessive salt and nutrient loading under dairies.

Project funds supplement CDRF funding and cooperator contributions for the work-intensive summer field season and to implement extension activities. This work is implemented jointly with "Use of Dairy Lagoon Water in Production of Forage Crops", under direction of Marsha C. Mathews.

Summary

California is the largest dairy producing state in the United States. Environmentally sustainable management of these dairies is critical to the economic health of California's agricultural community. This project focused on understanding the link between dairy manure management and shallow groundwater quality, and on developing improved dairy manure management methods that will ensure impacts on groundwater quality are minimized. Shallow groundwater quality has been monitored on cooperating dairies in the San Joaquin Valley. Manure management practices on these five dairies are considered to be representative of many dairies, particularly in the northern San Joaquin Valley, where the depth to groundwater is shallow and soils are predominantly sandy (vulnerable groundwater). The dairy is considered a nonpoint source with three major manure management areas: corral, storage lagoon, and fields.

Consistent with previous reports, nitrate levels in wells associated with all management units were found to exceed the maximum contamination level of 10 mg/l. Within each dairy, nitrate levels varied by up to one order of magnitude between monitoring wells. Temporal variation of nitrate in many wells increased or decreased by more than 100 percent over the period of the study, often over less than a six month period. Observed seasonal changes were insignificant. No discernable trend was observed in the average nitrate concentration between 1995 and 1998. On average 400 lbs N/acre per year has been leached from the dairy cropping systems (after subtracting volatilization and unsaturated zone denitrification). In 1998, we initiated a manure management experiment at one of four dairy sites. Since then, a three-fold (75%) decrease in average groundwater nitrate concentration occurred underneath the managed fields, clearly demonstrating the benefit of proper manure applications. Adoption of these practices by other cooperators positively impacted water quality leading to an overall 25% decrease in average shallow groundwater nitrate concentration over the past four years. Using the groundwater data and a wealth of nutrient, irrigation, crop, and soil data collected during this project, we developed a new approach to modeling nonpoint sources and their impact on long-term groundwater quality. The groundwater modeling approach confirmed preliminary estimates of loading rates in fields, corrals, and ponds. More importantly, the modeling provided an assessment of the long-term regional impact of manure management on groundwater nitrate in drinking water and irrigation wells. The model is in good agreement with regional domestic well nitrate data collected in 1986 and as a follow-up to this study in 2001. Without adjustments to manure management (i.e., under pre-1998 conditions) and at the current herd size, long-term nitrate concentrations in domestic and irrigation well throughout the study area will increase over the next fifty years to average levels that are more than four times above the drinking water limit. Proper manure management across the region has the potential to reverse this trend, although the impact will not be seen in production wells for at least another decade.

Numerous groundwater related workshops and talks have been given including several half-day workshops on "Groundwater Quality Control and Monitoring on Dairies". Extension efforts have reached dairy operators, agricultural consultants, certified crop advisors, farm advisors, researchers, regulatory agency personnel at the local, state, and federal level, local and federal planning agency personnel, and local water/irrigation district personnel. The insights gained through this project have been invaluable in the design of the SAREP funded BIFS project on manure management, the development of the USDA CNMP guidelines, the implementation of improved practices on several dozen dairies, and the continuing development of operator training in nutrient management.

Specific Results

1. Groundwater Quality Monitoring:

Tasks: The original monitoring well network consists of a total of 44 monitoring wells or approximately 9 wells per dairy. Monitoring wells are strategically placed a) upgradient and downgradient from fields receiving manure water, b) near ponds, and c) in the corral area. Wells are constructed with 2 inch PVC pipe installed to a depth of 20 - 30 feet. The wells are screened (slotted) from depths of 5-10 feet to 0.5 feet above the well bottom. Groundwater levels underneath the dairies are typically from 7 feet to 15 feet below ground surface. Soils are mostly well drained. Soil textures range from fine sandy loam to sand. Well water sampled from the monitoring wells is therefore representative of the uppermost 10 to 15 feet of groundwater (shallow groundwater). On two dairies, an additional 35 PVC monitoring wells (1" diameter) were completed in April 1999 in cooperation with a local driller and with financial support from CDRF and UC SAREP. An additional 4 wells were completed in April 2001. The additional wells were necessary to provide an improved map of the nitrate distribution in groundwater across each of the two dairies. All 39 new monitoring wells are screened from10' to 25' below ground surface and completed to standard monitoring well specifications. The very shallow groundwater monitoring network is an excellent tool to monitor potential leachate from the dairy operation. It is, however, NOT representative of water quality observed in domestic or agricultural production wells of the area, which are significantly deeper and were sampled in a separate, one-time sampling campaign after this project was completed.

Groundwater samples have been taken approximately every six weeks using a submersible pump (56 sampling campaigns between November 1995 and July 2002). In the field, water is analyzed for pH, temperature, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen using an inline water quality meter. Water samples are taken after purging at least 5 well volumes of water and after water quality readings stabilize. This procedure assures that water samples taken are representative for the aquifer formation surrounding the well. Water samples are cooled and shipped to UC DANR Analytical Laboratory in Davis for analysis of nitrate and total Kjehldahl nitrogen (ammonium and organic nitrogen). Each sampling campaign, including preparation, cleanup, and data-entry takes approximately 0.5 person-months (not including the analysis).

Results: Shallow groundwater quality as a function of dairy location.


We consider three dairy management units (Harter et al., 2002): corrals (including feed storage areas, barns, and other buildings and grounds within or immediately adjacent to the corral), manure water pond, and fields. Fields are further divided into two groups: those upgradient of corrals and those down- or side-gradient of corrals. In addition, we consider any areas upgradient of the dairy property as a separate "upgradient" management unit. To account for potentially different nitrate groundwater loading from various management units within each dairy, we initially grouped the monitoring wells by the management unit located immediately upgradient of the well, regardless of the presence of other management units within the potential source area, which may extend much further upgradient or include areas immediately downgradient of the well. Table 1 lists the number of wells constructed in 1992 (RWQCB wells) and in 1999 (UCD wells) within each of these management unit designations. An extensive statistical analysis, and interpretation of the 1995 - 1999 dataset obtained from the RWQCB wells has recently been published by Harter et al. (2002). Results presented here reflect an extended statistical analysis, covering the seven-year dataset (1995-2002) with all RWQCB and UCD wells is used unless otherwise mentioned.

Table 1: Number of monitoring wells within each management unit designation. In parantheses: Number of monitoring wells within each management unit designation after discarding wells with ambiguous management unit location. The statististical analyses were carried out for the sum of measured NO3-N plus TKN, denoted hereafter as N. Unless otherwise mentioned, TKN is negligibly small, and N concentrations are equal to NO3-N concentrations (see discussion below).

Management Unit
RWQCB wells (constructed in 1992)
UCD wells (constructed in 1999)
upgradient
5 (5)
11 (11)
fields
18 (18)
14 (14)
corral
15 (10)
10 (10)
pond
6 (2)
0 (0)
total
44 (35)
35 (35)

Average nitrogen concentrations (1995-2002) of the non-upgradient wells are 59.2 mg/l (compared to 64 mg/l during 1995-99) with a large standard deviation (37.6 mg/l, 2527 observations).

Figure 1: Mean, standard error, and standard deviation of the long-term 7-year-average well N concentrations, grouped by dairy. Data reflect a seven-year period and do not include upgradient wells.

Figure 1 demonstrates that the five dairies have statistically insignificant differences in the overall mean shallow groundwater concentration (given the small number of wells available for sampling on three of the five dairies). As discussed by Harter et al. (2002), this indicates that similar concentrations as observed on our dairies are likely to occur in most shallow groundwater underneath dairies with similar management practices and environmental conditions (water table less than 20' below ground surface, sandy to sandy loam soils). Even where the water table is less shallow, a similar range of concentrations is likely to occur unless the soils are less sandy or extensive clay beds occur above the water table: Heavier soils are a more efficient nutrient storage reservoir leaching less nitrate. Clay beds are generally associated with some denitrification.

Figure 2: Mean, standard error, and standard deviation of the seven-year-average nitrate monitoring well concentrations, grouped by management units.

Few differences are observed in groundwater nitrogen originating from the different management units (Figure 2): field, corral, and pond wells all have similarly high groundwater nitrogen. Compared to the 1995-99 period, field concentrations in 1999-2002 have, on average, decreased. Harter et al. (2002) also analyzed nitrogen speciation changes and salinity differences in groundwater. They found that the salinity underneath ponds and corrals is significantly higher than under fields. Also, ponds mostly leach anaerobic water with ammonia-N, while oxidized nitrate-N is found elsewhere. The geochemical signature agrees with the hydraulic and computer modeling analysis and confirms that the initial grouping of wells by management unit was significant as a tool to distinguish the different nonpoint sources within a dairy operation. Large nitrate concentration differences are observed only between the dairy wells and those considered 'upgradient', which underlines the fact that non-manured, commercially fertilized fields leach significantly less nitrogen.

Given the high variability over time and between wells, individual well data must be interpreted carefully. But the extent of the monitoring network is uniquely broad, which allows us to derive statistically meaningful average concentrations. (Harter et al., 2001a; Harter et al., 2002).


Temporal changes and trends

The previous analysis demonstrates the spatial differences in N concentration observed at individual wells, between management units, and between dairies. We also observed large temporal variations. Given such large temporal variability two issues arise in planning the design of a shallow groundwater sampling schedule:

The answer to the first question helps to design a sampling schedule that will capture significant temporal changes in nitrogen concentration over time. The analysis for significant seasonal patterns may further help in defining a sampling schedule aimed at capturing extreme events (low concentration, high concentration). At the onset of our sampling program, we hypothesized that distinct seasonal patterns would be observed in groundwater quality due to the seasonal application of liquid manure in fields and due to the distinct seasonality of the Mediterranean weather pattern in California (wet winters, negligible precipitation from May through October). During the winter season, uncovered corral areas were hypothesized to be subject to frequent localized ponding of runoff water ("hot spots") and infiltration of manure water with high concentrations of N. Note that the goal here is not to predict future nitrate levels at any of the sites, but to characterize the temporal variability observed.

Figure 3: Average nitrogen concentration at each sampling date, November 1995 - July 2002 (not including wells upgradient of the five dairies)

A time series analysis was performed on the dataset to statistically characterize the seasonality and temporal behavior of shallow groundwater nitrogen for each of the management units. For the analysis, only RWQCB wells with unambiguous management unit location were used (see Table 1). Wells were sampled thirty-five times between November 1995 and November 1999. The sampling interval varied from 27 days to 74 days with an average of 43 days (std. dev.: 13 days, lower quartile: 34 days, upper quartile: 49 days). Despite the differences in actual time interval, sampling dates are treated as equidistant for purpose of time series analysis. Missing values are linearly interpolated from existing data. The four seasons (fall, winter, spring, summer) are assigned depending on the sampling month: Sep-Nov, Dec-Feb, Mar-May, Jun-Aug for the four seasons, respectively.

Using autocovariance analysis, we are able to show that samples taken six months apart are uncorrelated (Harter et al., 2001a). At least bi-monthly sampling is recommended for these shallow groundwater monitoring wells to properly capture the nitrogen concentration changes over time.

Only weak seasonal changes are observed when computing seasonal means and variances. There may be a small increase in mean concentration from fall through spring, which then decrease between spring and summer N. For practical purposes, however (e.g., for designing sampling plans at a location with no prior history), seasonal influences are negligible. The absence of significant seasonality in the data suggests that winter rains and localized ponding of corral runoff does not, in general, create large, quickly moving localized spikes in nitrogen loading to groundwater within the corral area. There is also no significant seasonality in field nitrogen observations that we expected, for example, as a result of summer applications of manure or of frequent winter manure releases to fields due to limited pond capacity during the rainy season. Such seasonal variations are observed, indeed, only on a few monitoring wells. But between monitoring wells, seasonal observations are not consistent.

In the longer term, however, we observe a significant temporal trend: since 1998, when we began targeted nutrient management, nitrate concentrations have significantly decreased from an average of over 65 mg/l during 1995-1998 to near 45 mg/l in early 2002. Much of this reduction in average concentration is due to improvements in groundwater quality at our controlled field sites and in fields that our cooperators since converted to improved manure management.

The Value of Monitoring Wells

Given the large spatial and temporal variability we observe, it becomes obvious that the information from a single shallow monitoring well on a dairy is limited with respect to assessing the operation's impact on groundwater. However, a single shallow monitoring well randomly located on each of a few tens of dairies with comparable management practices would allow for a statistically significant analysis of the overall impact of these dairies on shallow groundwater (without allowing to discern between individual dairy's contribution). Using our database, we can also determine the number of monitoring wells necessary on an individual dairy such that - with 95% certainty - the long-term average N of at least one monitoring well exceeds the true (but unknown) mean concentration, Nmean underneath the dairy. We find that four monitoring wells, located at least 500 ft. apart throughout the dairy area (but not upgradient of the dairy), are necessary to achieve that statistical goal. Based on the time series analysis, the wells should be sampled quarterly to half-yearly to avoid missing any intermittent periods of high N concentrations in the well (Harter et al., 2001a).

Other Groundwater Measurements

During the summer of 1999, we implemented a number of experiments to validate our field sampling protocol and to obtain data that can be used for calibrating a groundwater model: 1) Hourly to daily water level monitoring during the irrigation season 1999 confirmed the high permeability of the soils and shallow sediments. Water level changes of one to two feet were observed within hours after irrigating. 2) A multi-level sampling protocol was developed and implemented to determine the amount of stratification in nitrate concentration within the top 15' of the aquifer. The experiments will be repeated once during the next year. Significant stratification was observed in a number of wells and the results were clearly influenced by summer irrigation. 3) A long-term pumping test was implemented on selected wells and water quality samples collected at several times. We were able to show that water quality in samples obtained according to our sampling protocol (required purging of 5 well volumes prior to sampling) vary insignificantly from the water quality in samples obtained after pumping as much as 200 times the amount of water (1,000 well volumes). 4) Pumping depth within the monitoring wells has no significant impact on water quality.

2. Nitrogen Source Loading to Groundwater:

Tasks: In cooperation with the participating dairymen, manure applications to fields that are adjacent to monitoring wells are monitored year-round to determine the amount of nutrients applied to these fields. In conjunction with crop yields and quarterly soil nutrient level measurements, these data are used to provide simple, conservative estimates of nutrient leaching below the root zone. Estimates are computed by calculating the difference between nutrient application, crop nutrient uptake and estimated nitrogen volatilization. Pond water nutrient concentrations and soil nutrient concentrations in the corral areas are monitored to provide estimates of the strengths of these nutrient sources (Mathews et al, , 2001). Through groundwater modeling, nutrient sources and their seasonal variations may be linked to seasonal changes in salt and nitrate concentrations in groundwater. Corral area soil monitoring and groundwater modeling will be implemented during the last year of this project.

Results: A database has been established for storing, processing, and mapping the information collected in the field. We also developed a GIS map of our most intensely monitored site and its vicinity. We used the database and GIS information of this site for implementing several groundwater modeling studies. Based on the USGS computer code MODFLOW (MacDonald and Harbaugh, 1988) for groundwater flow modeling and EPA code MT3D (Zheng, 1990) for three-dimensional contaminant transport modeling.

The modeling has been implemented not only as a case study, but more importantly as vehicle to overcome the limitations of existing nonpoint source pollution assessment models. Dairies are here considered a complex nonpoint source. Intrinsically, nonpoint source pollution is spatially distributed (variable) recharge rate and recharge concentration. It is highly variable between regions of different farming practices and environmental conditions, between operations run by individual operators, within individual dairy operations, and even within individual fields, corrals, and ponds due to natural variability in soil properties and irrigation non-uniformity. By dividing the dairy farm into management units, we honor the decision making process in the source management by the dairy operator.

We developed a multi-step calibration procedure that reflects the variety of data available, the various scales of their associated measurement support, and the multiple scales of the nonpoint source as a spatially distributed forcing variable: field scale, farm scale, and sub-regional scale (VanderSchans et al., 2002a).

We also considered various time-scales: from short-term transient time scales of less than 1 day to long-term, multi-year quasi-steady state. The smallest nonpoint source scale considered in the model (field scale) has the highest amount of temporal data density. It is reflected in an embedded transient flow model with very short, 12-hour stress periods and implemented over a three month period. At this scale, we evaluated the quality and shortcomings of the larger scale, sub-regional steady-state flow model. This sub-model is the nonpoint source equivalent of a large-scale pumping test analysis for estimating field scale hydraulic conductivity and specific yield. Also at the field scale, but with lower temporal data density, is the transport model to evaluate the breakthrough curve after lowering the nitrogen loading on two experimental fields. The experimental field site is the nonpoint source equivalent of a field-scale tracer test to evaluate field-scale dispersion and porosity.

Two farm-scale flow regimes are recognized in the calibration approach: a pre-tile drain period and a tile-drain period, each of which is represented by separate steady-state flow models, which proved to be adequate and less parameter intensive as a more complex transient flow model. Finally, the transport model calibration reflected the extent of the monitoring well network, the scale of the source area of the monitoring wells, but also the management unit grouping.

The modeling results indicate significant variability in the nitrogen loading from the various sources: fields without manure management contributed, on average, 350 - 450 lbs/acre/year of nitrogen to groundwater (after accounting for volatilization and denitrification losses, which are likely negligible). Corral and pond loading is estimated to be 700 - 800 lbs/acre/year. The latter estimates are subject to significant uncertainty. This is due to the limited information available about the recharge rates from ponds and corrals.

The results of the inverse modeling (VanderSchans et al., 2002) are considered more reliable than estimates based solely on a statistical analysis of monitoring well data such as Harter et al. (2002): unlike the statistical analysis, the inverse model accounts for the actual mix of land uses within the monitoring well's source area. In comparing the inverse model results at the field and farm operations scale with other means of estimating nitrogen loading to groundwater, we find that individual field nitrogen balances based on measured values of irrigation and nutrient loading and on measured amounts of nutrient removal in the crop give quite accurate estimates of groundwater loading. We have less confidence in the estimated recharge loading for ponds and corrals, primarily because the flow model calibration is very insensitive to the recharge rates from these management units. The inverse modeling approach provided significantly more precise estimate of dairy nitrogen losses than the dairy nitrogen balance approach, which has a high amount of uncertainty due to unknown nitrogen volatilization. We also recognize that current guidelines for measuring dairy nitrogen balances are oversimplified (VanderSchans, 2002a).

3. Nutrient Management Impact:

Figure 4: Average nitrate-N [mg/l] in wells downgradient from the three fields with controlled manure management beginning in 1998. From 1995 until May 1999, values represent a single monitoring well (all other constructed in April 1999)

Through the joint project by Mathews et al., selected fields near monitoring wells were operated under improved nutrient management techniques that take advantage of the nutrient content in the dairy manure. We have installed additional monitoring wells upgradient and downgradient of all three selected field sites (see above) to obtain a statistically significant number of observations of groundwater quality at the upgradient and downgradient edge of each experimental field. The groundwater quality monitoring program is used to establish direct evidence of the short- and long-term impact of improved nutrient management on groundwater quality (Harter et al., 2001b; Mathews et al., 2001).

Results: Figure 4 shows the nitrate-nitrogen concentration in several wells located between and down-gradient from three field plots managed under the joint SAREP/CDRF project. Significant reduction in nitrogen concentration has been achieved over the past four years: from over 120 mg/l prior to the beginning of the manure management project to less than 40 mg/l in 2002. Some well nitrate level were less than 30 mg/l in 2002. The reduction clearly demonstrates the value of proper manure management. The groundwater model described above clearly linked the changes in monitoring well concentrations to the reduction in the field nitrogen applications.

Figure 5: Illustrating the fate of nitrogen in groundwater through computer simulation. (simplified example). The map (top) is 1x1 mile and shows relative concentration at a depth of 90 ft. The cross-section (bottom) is 200 ft thick and is located near the top of the map.

To assess the long-term impacts of traditional and improved manure management on regional groundwater quality, we developed a novel approach to modeling nonpoint source pollution at the regional scale. The model applies the transfer function approach to simulations from a fully three-dimensional groundwater transport model (VanderSchans et al., 2002b) (Figure 5). We expanded the analysis of the source loading (see above) and included a historic analysis of fertilizer use, animal herd size, and crop nutrient uptake in the study region. That allowed us to model not only dairy sources of nitrogen, but also other sources of nitrogen such as septic tanks and fertilizer applications to various crops including their historic increase in loading rates.

The regional model was tested against nitrate data in domestic, irrigation, and drainage wells in northern Merced County. The model accurately reproduced the increase in nitrate concentrations over the past 15 years (we recently repeated a 1986 survey of domestic and irrigation wells in this region). At current herd size, and without improvements in manure management, the model estimates that average groundwater nitrate-N levels will almost triple, to over 40 mg/l, over the next 30 - 50 years. The model also shows that groundwater quality can be significantly improved over the next two decades, if proper nutrient management is implemented, particularly with respect to manure management, across a significant acreage in the study region.

Potential Benefits, Impacts on Agriculture

The groundwater monitoring data clearly underscore and illustrate the need for manure nutrient management. The baseline data and the cautious improvements in groundwater quality near managed fields indicate that proper management of manure can significantly reduce nitrate leaching from dairy crop fields. For agriculture, the benefits of this project are not only of educational value but will have significant practical impact, particularly in the development of USDA's CNMP guidelines, the development of monitoring programs, and education of operators and consultants in the practical implementation of appropriate manure management. Understanding the environmental impact motivates operators to better environmental stewardship. Better manure nutrient management practices, in turn, help protect the drinking water resource upon which most of these operators depend for the family and herd, and upon which the rural communities depend, of which the dairies are an important economic part.

References:

Harter, T., H. Davis, M. C. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 2001a. Monitoring shallow groundwater nitrogen loading from dairy facilities with irrigated forage crops. ASAE Meeting Presentation, Paper Number 01-2103, 2001 ASAE Annual International Meeting, Sacramento, CA, July 30-August 1, 2001.

Harter, T., M. C. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 2001b. Effects of dairy manure nutrient management on shallow groundwater nitrate: a case study. ASAE Meeting Presentation, Paper Number 01-2192, 2001 ASAE Annual International Meeting, Sacramento, CA, July 30-August 1, 2001.

Harter T., H. Davis, M. C. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 2002. Shallow groundwater nitrate on dairy farms with irrigated forage crops, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 55(3-4), 287-315.

Mathews, M. C., E. Swenson, T. Harter, R. D. Meyer, 2001. Matching dairy lagoon nutrient application to crop nitrogen uptake using a flow meter and control valve. Paper Number 01-2105, 2001 ASAE Annual International Meeting, Sacramento, CA, July 30-August 1, 2001.

VanderSchans, M., T. Harter, T. Leijnse, M. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 2002a. Multi-Step Calibration of Spatially Distributed Nitrate Leaching to Shallow Groundwater in Dairy Farming Systems, to be submitted.

VanderSchans, M., T. Harter, T. Leijnse, 2002b. Prediction of Domestic Well Pollution from Non-point Sources with Simulated Response Functions and Historic Nitrogen Budgets, to be submitted

Dissemination of Findings, Extension

Tasks: This project serves not only as a research but also as a demonstration project to educate dairy operators, regulatory agency personnel, and the general public about:

Besides the dairy operators on whose properties the groundwater monitoring network was installed, a number of cooperators are on this project. They are interested in the results of this project and they will contribute their perspective and experience into interpreting the results from a hydrogeologic, regulatory, groundwater management, and - most importantly - dairy industry perspective. All educational events and products are jointly produced and implemented with the joint nutrient management project by Mathews et al., and the CDRF project (see budget).

Numerous talks were presented to a large variety of groups, including industry representatives, dairy farmers, local, state, and federal regulatory agency personnel, concerned citizens, and consultants. Four groundwater quality workshops were held for dairy operators and consultants (approximately 10 attendees per workshop). The workshop provided a brief background on groundwater resources in the Central Valley and groundwater quality, explained the role of dairies in groundwater protection, and illustrated the findings from our dairy groundwater monitoring program. In addition, an overview of the dairy groundwater issue was provided to members of the ad hoc Task Force, local, state, and federal regulatory agency members, dairy industry representatives, university research and extension members, and to other local agencies. A complete list of extension activities is attached to this report.

Evaluation

With respect to groundwater quality improvements, the project in itself provides an evaluation of the nutrient management techniques implemented under joint nutrient management project. The groundwater modeling efforts allow for an evaluation and validation of the interpretation of the groundwater quality data with respect to the contribution of various nitrate sources within the dairy (corrals, ponds, fields, puddles) and the fate of groundwater quality as the groundwater leaves the dairy.

An informal ad hoc task force is providing guidance to this, the joint nutrient management, and the CDRF project. It consists of the cooperators and investigators on these projects and several representatives of other stakeholder groups including the funding agencies (CDRF, SAREP, EPA, RWQCB, USDA-NRCS, irrigation districts, county planning and environmental health departments, dairy industry). It has met twice, in 1998 and 1999, and will meet again before completion of the project. Over the past two years, we have interacted with most ad hoc task force members by presenting results at several agency and ag industry meetings (see extension activities). A final meeting is anticipated upon completion of several publications in progress. Investigators report to the ad hoc task force on project plans, progress, and findings and seek input from cooperators to interpret findings and formulate recommendations to the dairy industry.

Project Publications:

1998-1999:
Campbell-Mathews, M., R. D. Meyer, T. Harter. 1999. Using dairy lagoon water to replace commercial fertilizers, in: Proceedings 1999 California Plant and Soil Conference, California Chapter of the American Society of Agronomy, pp. 133-139.

Harter, T. R. D. Meyer, M. Campbell-Mathews. 1999. Shallow groundwater quality under dairies in Merced and Stanislaus County. in: Proceedings 1999 California Plant and Soil Conference, California Chapter of the American Society of Agronomy, pp. 122-127.

1999-2000:
Campbell-Mathews, M., R. D. Meyer, T. Harter, 1999. Using dairy lagoon water to replace commercial fertilizers, in: Proceedings 1999 California Plant and Soil Conference, California Chapter of the American Society of Agronomy, pp. 133-139.

Harter, T., 2000. Groundwater Quality Control and Monitoring on Dairies, Shortcourse Handout, 38 pages + 34 pages in appendices.

Harter, T., E.R. Atwill, W.R. Horwath, R.D. Meyer, M. Campbell Mathews, Oct.1, 1998 to June 30, 1999. Impact of Waste Management on Chronic Exposure of Dairy Cattle to Well Water Nitrate. Annual report, California Dairy Research Foundation.

Harter, T., E.R. Atwill, W.R. Horwath, R.D. Meyer, M. Campbell Mathews, July 1, 1999 to Dec 30, 1999. Impact of Waste Management on Chronic Exposure of Dairy Cattle to Well Water Nitrate. Semiannual report, California Dairy Research Foundation.

Mathews, M. Campbell , March, 1999. Usar a Água da Lagoa da Leitaria para a Produçno de Colheita Leaflet 'Using Dairy Lagoon Water to Fertilize Crops' in Portuguese.

Mathews, M. Campbell, Oct. 1999. 'How much N can I expect my winter crops to take up? and Is there a difference in the ability of different types of winter forages to take up N?' Newsletter for the BIFS Dairy Manure & Forage Production Project.

Mathews, M. Campbell, 1999. Experiences Using Dairy Lagoon Water as a Nutrient Source for Corn Silage, Proceedings, 7th annual Fertilizer Research and Education Program Conference, November 30, 1999 Modesto CA p 92.

Mathews, M. Campbell. 1999. Control of Dairy Lagoon Water Applications in Alfalfa, Proceedings, 1999 California Alfalfa Symposium, Dec 8-9 Fresno, CA, p. 96.

Mathews, M. Campbell, 1999. Using an Installed Meter to manage Dairy Lagoon Water as a Nutrient Source for Forage Crops 1999 Progress Report, Using Dairy Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production Shortcourse Syllabus. UCCE Stanislaus County 15 p.

Mathews, M. Campbell. 1999. Lagoon water calculation worksheets (12), lookup tables (7), computer spreadsheets (6), field data collection templates (4), and handheld computer spreadsheets (5) for lagoon water calculations and data collection in the field. 1999 - 2000, UCCE Stanislaus County.

Mathews, M. Campbell, February, 2000. Analyzing Dairy Lagoon Water for Use on Forage Crops. The Lab Report, JL Laboratories.

Mathews, M. Campbell, March, 2000. Procedure for using a 420 nm colorimeter for determination of ammonia N in dairy lagoon water, UCCE Stanislaus County.

Mathews, M. Campbell. Regulating Dairy Lagoon Water Application Rates, Using Dairy Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production Shortcourse Syllabus. UCCE Stanislaus County 5 p.

Mathews, M. Campbell. Analyzing Dairy Lagoon Water for Use on Forage Crops, Using Dairy Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production Shortcourse Syllabus. UCCE Stanislaus County 5 p.

Mathews, M. Campbell, Frate, Carol, May, 2000. Checklist for Using Dairy Lagoon Water for Crop Production Agribusiness Dairyman, p 22-23.

Mathews, M. Campbell, Frate, Carol, May, 2000. Options for Measuring Lagoon Water Applications Agribusiness Dairyman, p 24, 25, 26.

Mathews, M. Campbell, Frate, Carol, May, 2000. How much nitrogen are you applying in your lagoon water irrigation? Agribusiness Dairyman p 27, 28.

Mathews, M. Campbell, Frate, Carol, June, 2000. Checklist for Using Dairy Lagoon Water for Crop Production. Stanislaus Farm News Dairy Times, p 5, 6, 7.

Mathews, M. Campbell, Frate, Carol, June, 2000. Options exist for measuring nutrient applications Stanislaus Farm News Dairy Times, p 4, 12, 17, 19.

Mathews, M. Campbell, Frate, Carol, June, 2000. Tips offered to calculate nitrogen application. Stanislaus Farm News Dairy Times, p 3, 8.

Mathews, M. Campbell, T. Harter, R.D.Meyer, January, 1999. Use of Dairy Lagoon Water in Production of Forage Crops 1998-1999 SAREP Progress Report, 12 pgs.

Mathews, M. Campbell, T. Harter, R.D.Meyer, June 12, 2000. Use of Dairy Lagoon Water in Production of Forage Crops 1999-2000 SAREP Progress Report, 12 pgs.

Mathews, M. Campbell and Dan Putnam, November, 1999. The California Hay Marketing Guidelines, California Dairy Herd Improvement, p 8,9,15.

2000-2002:
Frate, C. A., M. C. Mathews, 2001. Overview of dairy lagoon water nutrient management, Proceedings 2001, California Soil and Plant Conference, Fresno, February 7-8, 2001, pp. 38-42.

† Harter, T., H. Davis, M. C. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 2001. Monitoring shallow groundwater nitrogen loading from dairy facilities with irrigated forage crops. ASAE Meeting Presentation, Paper Number 01-2103, 2001 ASAE Annual International Meeting, Sacramento, CA, July 30-August 1, 2001.

Harter, T., M. C. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 2001. Dairy nutrient management effects on groundwater quality: A case study, Proceedings 2001, California Soil and Plant Conference, Fresno, February 7-8, 2001, pp. 59-67.

Harter T., M. C. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 2001. Shallow groundwater monitoring within animal feeding operations: Issues and pitfalls, Western Nutrient Management Conference Proceedings Vol. 4, Salt Lake City, March 8-9, 2001, pp. 56-64.

Harter, Thomas, Marsha C. Mathews, Roland D. Meyer, (in press). Nonpoint source pollution from animal farming in semi-arid regions: spatio-temporal variability and groundwater monitoring strategies, accepted for Conference Proceedings for the 3rd International Conference on Future Groundwater Resources at Risk, Lisbon, Portugal, June 25-29, 2001.

† Harter, T., M. C. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 2001. Effects of dairy manure nutrient management on shallow groundwater nitrate: a case study. ASAE Meeting Presentation, Paper Number 01-2192, 2001 ASAE Annual International Meeting, Sacramento, CA, July 30-August 1, 2001.

† Harter T., H. Davis, M. C. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 2002. Shallow groundwater nitrate on dairy farms with irrigated forage crops, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 55(3-4), 287-315.

Mathews, M. C., C. Frate, T. Harter, S. Sather, 2001. Lagoon water composition, sampling, and field analysis, Proceedings 2001, California Soil and Plant Conference, Fresno, February 7-8, 2001, pp. 43-51.

Mathews, Marsha C., 2001. Timing Nitrogen Applications in Corn and Winter Forage Proceedings, 31st California Alfalfa and Forage Symposium, December 11-13, Modesto, California, pp. 113-116.

Mathews, Marsha C., 2001. Using Dairy Lagoon Nutrients to Produce High Yielding Crops: System Design and Use Proceedings, 31st California Alfalfa and Forage Symposium, December 11-13, Modesto, California, pp. 116-119.

† Mathews, M. C., E. Swenson, T. Harter, R. D. Meyer, 2001. Matching dairy lagoon nutrient application to crop nitrogen uptake using a flow meter and control valve. Paper Number 01-2105, 2001 ASAE Annual International Meeting, Sacramento, CA, July 30-August 1, 2001.

Meyer, R. D., M. C. Mathews, J. Deng, T. Harter, 2001. Dairy lagoon water versus anhydrous ammonia for corn silage production and soil nitrogen management, Western Nutrient Management Conference Proceedings Vol. 4, Salt Lake City, March 8-9, 2001, pp. 65-73.

Meyer, Roland D., Blake L. Sanden and Khaled M. Bali, 2000. Lagoon water, manures and biosolids applied to alfalfa: pros and cons. Proceedings 29th National Alfalfa Symposium and 30th California Alfalfa Symposium, December 11-12, 2000, Las Vegas.

† VanderSchans, M., T. Harter, T. Leijnse, M. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, Multi-Step Calibration of Spatially Distributed Nitrate Leaching to Shallow Groundwater in Dairy Farming Systems, to be submitted.

† VanderSchans, M., T. Harter, T. Leijnse, Prediction of Domestic Well Pollution from Non-point Sources with Simulated Response Functions and Historic Nitrogen Budgets, to be submitted

† most significant publications; copies submitted with this report. Submitted publications will be sent to SAREP when published.

Graduate Theses Completed:
VanderSchans, M., Nitrogen Leaching from Irrigated Dairy Farms in Merced County, California: Case Study and Regional Significance., Wageningen University, The Netherlands, 2001.

Published Abstracts:

1999-2000:
Harter, T., M. C. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, S. Talozi, 2000. Spatial and temporal distribution of nitrogen in shallow groundwater underneath dairies in Central California; 2000 Spring Meeting, Eos Transactions 81(19), May 9, 2000, p. S228, American Geophysical Union.

Mathews, M. C., S.S. Sather, R.D.Meyer, 1999. A rapid, on-farm method for determining ammonia content of dairy pond water. Agron. Abst., American Society of Agronomy. p 322.

Meyer, R. D., M. Campbell-Mathews, J. Deng and T. Harter, 1999. Soil ammonium and nitrate concentrations in corn following dairy lagoon water applications. Agron. Abst., American Society of Agronomy. p 261.

Meyer, R. D., M. C. Mathews, T. Harter, 2000. Nitrogen cycling in dairy systems with flood-irrigated double-cropping on sandy soils, Central California; 2000 Spring Meeting, Eos Transactions 81(19), May 9, 2000, p. S227, American Geophysical Union.

2000-2002:
Harter, Thomas, 2001. Spatial variability of nitrate in groundwater underneath dairies with irrigated forage crops, Abstract & Presentation, American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting, Boston, Massachussets, May 29 - June 3, 2001.

Harter, T., H. Davis, M. C. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 2001. Monitoring shallow groundwater nitrogen loading from dairy facilities with irrigated forage crops. ASAE Meeting Presentation, Paper Number 01-2103, 2001 ASAE Annual International Meeting, Sacramento, CA, July 30-August 1, 2001.

Harter, Thomas, Marsha C. Mathews, Roland D. Meyer, 2001. Nonpoint source pollution from animal farming in semi-arid regions: spatio-temporal variability and groundwater monitoring strategies, Conference Proceedings for the 3rd Internation Conference on Future Groundwater Resources at Risk, Lisbon, Portugal, June 25- 29, 2001.

Harter, T., M. C. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 2001. Effects of dairy manure nutrient management on shallow groundwater nitrate: a case study. ASAE Meeting Presentation, Paper Number 01-2192, 2001 ASAE Annual International Meeting, Sacramento, CA, July 30-August 1, 2001.

Mathews, M. C., E. Swenson, T. Harter, R. D. Meyer, 2001. Matching dairy lagoon nutrient application to crop nitrogen uptake using a flow meter and control valve. ASAE Meeting Presentation, Paper Number 01-2105, 2001 ASAE Annual International Meeting, Sacramento, CA, July 30-August 1, 2001.

Scientific and Technical Presentations:

1998-1999:
Campbell-Mathews, M., R. D. Meyer, T. Harter: "Using dairy lagoon water to replace commercial fertilizers", 1999 California Plant and Soil Conference, California Chapter of the American Society of Agronomy, Visalia, January 20&21, 1999.

Harter, T. R. D. Meyer, M. Campbell-Mathews. "Shallow groundwater quality under dairies in Merced and Stanislaus County", 1999 California Plant and Soil Conference, California Chapter of the American Society of Agronomy, Visalia, January 20&21, 1999.

Mathews, M. C., "Using Dairy Lagoon Water to Grow Forage Crops", A&L Analytical Lab Meeting, Feb. 18, 1999; 110 people.

Mathews, M. C., brief presentation at EPA inspectors' training to update on progress in using dairy waste in an environmentally sound manner. Feb 25, 1999; 30 people.

Harter, T.: "Dairy Impact on Groundwater Quality - Myth, Science, and Reality", Task Force meeting, April 22, 1999.

Mathews, M.C.: "Using dairy lagoon water on forage crops", Task Force meeting, April 22, 1999.
Meyer, Roland: "Nitrogen in the Root Zone under Manure and Ammonia Managed Fields", Task Force meeting, April 22, 1999.

1999-2000:
Mathews, M. C., S.S. Sather, R.D. Meyer, A Rapid, On-Farm Method for Determining Ammonia Content of Dairy Pond Water, American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America annual meetings, Salt Lake City UT October 31-November 4, 1999 poster.

Meyer, R. D., Mathews, M. C., J. Deng and T. Harter. 1999. Soil ammonia and nitrate concentrations in corn following dairy lagoon water applications. American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America annual meetings, Salt Lake City, UT October 31-November 4, 1999, 80 people.

Harter, T. "Using GIS in Managing Water Quality and other Environmental Quality Data" GIS Day '99, Calif. State Univ., Fresno. November 19, 1999.

Harter, T. "Linking Geosciences Information in a GIS for Hydrologic Modeling" GIS Day '99, Calif. State Univ., Fresno. November 19, 1999.

Harter, T. "Drinking Water Source Protection through Nutrient Management." FREP/SAREP Joint Annual Conference, Modesto. November 30, 1999.

Meyer R. D., "Lagoon water vs. anhydrous ammonia on corn and the impact on groundwater nitrate", Land, Air, Water Resources Dept., University of California, Davis, Seminar, Faculty, Staff and Students. Davis, CA, January 25, 2000.

Harter, T., organized and chaired a special session on animal feeding operations and their environmental impact. American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting. May 29 - June 3, 2000. Washington, DC, 40 people.

Meyer, R. D., T. Harter, M. Campbell-Mathews: "Nitrogen cycling in dairy systems with flood-irrigated double-cropping on sandy soils", Central California American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting. May 29 - June 3, 2000. Washington, DC, 40 people.

Harter, T., M. Campbell-Mathews, R. D. Meyer, S. Talozi: "Spatial and temporal distribution of nitrogen in shallow groundwater underneath dairies in Central California" American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting. May 29 - June 3, 2000. Washington, DC, 40 people.

2001-2002:
Harter, T., "Agriculture and Groundwater: The many facets of groundwater regulation in California," DANR Statewide Conference, February 22, 2001, Riverside, CA, 100 people.

Harter, T., "Shallow Groundwater Monitoring within Animal Feeding Operations: Issues and Pitfalls," Western Nutrient Management Conference, March 8, 2001, Salt Lake City, 120 people.

Harter, T., "Dairy Waste Management," UC Davis Hydrology 117, May 21, 2001, Davis, CA, 12 people.

Harter, T., "Spatio-temporal variability of Nitrate in Groundwater underneath Dairies with Irrigated Crops," American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting June 1, 2001, Boston, 50 people.

Campbell-Mathews, M., 2001. "Using flow meters to manage dairy lagoon nutrients", Conference of Sustainable Dairy Production Practices, sponsored by the Ecological Farming Association, Merced, June 6, 2001.

Campbell-Mathews, M. 2001. "Managing lagoon water to avoid groundwater contamination", Board of Directors, Western United Dairymen, Modesto, June 15, 2001.

Campbell-Mathews, M., T. Harter, R.D. Meyer, UC Dairy Committee of Consultants, committee meetings, Davis, June 21,2001 - current.

Harter, T., "Nonpoint Source Pollution from Animal Farming in Semi-Arid Regions: Spatio-Temporal Variability and Groundwater Monitoring Strategies," International Conference / UNESCO, Future Groundwater Resources at Risk, June 25, 2001, Lisbon, Portugal, 100 people.

Campbell-Mathews, M., "Using flow meters to manage dairy lagoon nutrients", UC Merced Chancellor Tomlinson-Kearsey, Turlock, June 28, 2001.

Harter, T., "Groundwater Quality Impacts from Dairy Farms with Irrigated Forage Crops: A Multi-scale Analysis," RIVM workshop, July 12, 2001, Utrecht, Netherlands, 25 people.

Harter, T., H. Davis, M. C. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 2001. Monitoring shallow groundwater nitrogen loading from dairy facilities with irrigated forage crops. ASAE Meeting Presentation, Paper Number 01-2103, 2001 ASAE Annual International Meeting, Sacramento, CA, July 30-August 1, 2001.

Harter, T., M. C. Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 2001. Effects of dairy manure nutrient management on shallow groundwater nitrate: a case study. ASAE Meeting Presentation, Paper Number 01-2192, 2001 ASAE Annual International Meeting, Sacramento, CA, July 30-August 1, 2001.

Harter, T., "Monitoring shallow groundwater nitrogen loading from dairies with irrigated forage crops," American Society of Agricultural Engineers, Annual meeting, July 31, 2001, Sacramento, CA, 50 people.

Harter, T., "Dairy Nutrient Management Effects on Groundwater Quality: A Case Study," American Society of Agricultural Engineers Annual meeting, July 31, 2001, Sacramento, CA, 50 people.

Harter, T., "Shallow Groundwater Monitoring within Animal Feeding Operations: Issues and Pitfalls," American Society of Agricultural Engineers Annual meeting, July 31, 2001, Sacramento, CA, 50 people.

Mathews, M. C., E. Swenson, T. Harter, R. D. Meyer, 2001. Matching dairy lagoon nutrient application to crop nitrogen uptake using a flow meter and control valve. ASAE Meeting Presentation, Paper Number 01-2105, 2001 ASAE Annual International Meeting, Sacramento, CA, July 30-August 1, 2001.

Harter, T., "Dairy Operations and Groundwater Quality, " DANR Ag Media Training, October 3, 2001, Tulare, 10 people.

Harter, T., "Dairy Manure and Groundwater Quality," DANR Dairy Workgroup Meeting, December 4, 2001, Davis, CA, 25 people.

Harter, T., "Animal farming and groundwater quality," UCD Water and Air Symposium, January 10, 2002, Davis, CA, 25 people.

Harter, T., "Challenges in the Monitoring of Nonpoint Source Pollution of Groundwater," CA&ES Annual Farm Advisor Meeting, January 22, 2002, Davis, CA 30 people.

Harter, T., "The Impact of Dairies on Groundwater Quality," Madera Sustainable Dairy Working Group, February 1, 2002, Madera, CA, 30 people.

Harter, T., "Multiscale Monitoring of Nonpoint Source Pollution in Groundwater," UC Davis, Dept. of CEE Seminar Series, February 25, 2002, Davis, CA 40 people.

Harter, T., "Understanding the Role of Dairies in Protecting Groundwater Quality," Air and Water Management Association, Golden Empire Chapter, March 13, 2002, Bakersfield, CA, 38 people.

Publicity:
Mathews, M. Campbell 'Using dairy lagoon water to supply crop nutrients' KAZV ch 14 1/2 hr interview on agriculture for the local TV station, May 31 6:00-6:30 pm live, aired 7 additional times. Station estimates 400,000 viewers

Popular press articles featuring project work

Estrada, Richard. 'Making Most of Dairy Waste' Modesto Bee, May 27, 2000, Sacramento Bee, late May, 2000, p. D1,D4.

Burnam, T.J. 'Waste Not' California Farmer, March 2000, p. 12,13,14,17.

Johnson, Suzanne. 'Flow meter and valve take guesswork out of applying lagoon-water nutrients' Western Dairyman, January 2000, p. C14, C16.

Palomeres, Robert. 'Recycled Dairy Waste Works' Capital Press, June 2, 2000, p. 1-2.

Warnert, Jeannette. 'Helping Dairy Producers Better Manage Wastewater' California Dairy Herd Improvement, June, 2000, p. 8.

Warnert, Jeannette. 'UC innovation helps dairy farmers better manage wastewater' ANR Report, May 18-June 22, 2000, p. 3.

Fitchette, Todd. 'Lagoon water finds new use with tree crops' Western Dairy Business, July 2000, p. 14.
'Test lagoon water for nutrients.' Dairy Herd Management, August 2000, p. 10.

Harter, T., M. Campbell-Mathews, R. D. Meyer, 'Manure management systems reduce fertilizer cost, protect groundwater, California Milk Advisory Board Research Review, Winter 2001, pp.1, 2001.


Industry Contacts/Interactions:

April 16, 1999: UC Dairy Environmental Quality Workgroup Meeting, UCCE Madera; discussion of project progress among other things; Chair: Thomas Harter

April 22, 1999: Impact of Dairy Waste and Crop Nutrient Management on Shallow Groundwater Quality, Project Task Force Meeting, NRCS Stanislaus; Chair: Thomas Harter

Dairy Conferences and Workshops:

1998-1999:
Mathews, M. Campbell, R. D. Meyer, T. Harter. 1999: "Using dairy lagoon water to replace commercial fertilizers", 1999 California Plant and Soil Conference, California Chapter of the American Society of Agronomy, Visalia, January 20&21, 1999. 80 people

Harter, T., R.D. Meyer, Mathews, M. Campbell. 1999. "Shallow groundwater quality under dairies in Merced and Stanislaus County", 1999 California Plant and Soil Conference, California Chapter of the American Society of Agronomy, Visalia, January 20&21, 1999. 80 people.

Meyer, R. D., and C. Frate, "Nutrient management on silage crops: What is a nutrient management plan and what to expect from a consultant", presented at "Crop Utilization of Dairy Manure: Agronomic and Regulatory Aspects", Edison AgTAC, Tulare, January 27, 1999.

Mathews, M. Campbell, "Nutrient management planning for forage crops", presented at "Crop Utilization of Dairy Manure: Agronomic and Regulatory Aspects", Edison AgTAC, Tulare, January 27, 1999. 45 people.

Campbell Mathews, Marsha, "Using Dairy Lagoon Water to Grow Forage Crops", A&L Analytical Lab Meeting, Feb 18, 1999 110 people.

Harter, T. "Dairy Impact on Groundwater Quality - Myth, Science, and Reality", NRCS workshop for dairy operations training of NRCS personnel, Hanford, Kings County, February 24.

Frate, C., M. Campbell-Mathews "Corn crop and forage crop management with lagoon water", NRCS workshop for dairy operations training of NRCS personnel, Hanford, Kings County, February 25.

Mathews, M Campbell, brief presentation at EPA inspectors training to update on progress in using dairy waste in an environmentally sound manner. Feb 25, 1999 30 people.

Harter, T.: "Dairy Impact on Groundwater Quality - Myth, Science, and Reality", NRCS workshop for dairy operations training of NRCS personnel, Modesto, Stanislaus County, March 3, 1999.

Mathews, M. Campbell: Using dairy lagoon water on forage crops, NRCS workshop for dairy operations training of NRCS personnel, Modesto, Stanislaus County, March 4, 1999. 28 people.

Mathews, M. Campbell, 'Update on UCCE field crops program' Stanislaus County Farm Bureau Board of Directors Meeting, March 9, 1999. 32 people

Mathews, M. Campbell, "How to measure and Adjust Lagoon Water Applications" Grower Field Day: "Practical Nutrient Management, Putting Theory into Practice", UCCE Stanislaus County, March 19, 1999. 40 people

Mathews, M. Campbell. "Using dairy lagoon water on forage crops", Growers Field Day: "Practical Nutrient Management, Putting Theory into Practice". UCCE Stanislaus, March 19, 1999. 40 people.

Harter, T.: "Dairy Impact on Groundwater Quality - Myth, Science, and Reality" Growers Field Day: "Practical Nutrient Management, Putting Theory into Practice", organizer: Marsha Campbell-Mathews; UCCE Stanislaus, March 19, 1999.

Mathews, M. Campbell, organizer. UC Dairy Environmental Quality Workgroup Meeting, UCCE Madera; discussion of project progress among other things. April 16, 1999. 11 people

Marsha Campbell-Mathews; How to measure and Adjust Lagoon Water Applications UCCE Tulare County Corn Grower Meeting, May 5, 1999. 30 people

Mathews, M. Campbell, 'Targeting Dairy Lagoon Water Nitrogen Applications' Waste Management Workgroup Meeting, UCDavis, June 13, 2000 20 people

1999-2000:
Harter, T, "Why manage manure? - The groundwater connection". Growers Workshop UCCE Kings County, Olivieira Dairy, Lemoore. July 17, 1999.

Mathews, M. Campbell, "How we are educating dairy producers on lagoon water management, presentation to NRCS administration, Modesto, Aug. 1, 1999 8 people.

Harter, T. "Why manage manure? - The groundwater connection"; Growers Workshop sponsored by UCCE Stanislaus County held at Clauss Dairy, Hilmar. October 6, 1999.

Mathews, M. C. 'Measuring and Adjusting Lagoon Water Applications' 1999 UC Lagoon Water Field Day, Clauss Dairy, Hilmar, CA, October 6, 1999 100 people

Mathews, M. Campbell "The new hay standards and the 'California Recognized' program" 1999 Merced County Alfalfa Production Meeting, Los Banos, November 14, 1999, 19 people.

Mathews, M. Campbell "The new hay standards and the 'California Recognized' program" 1999 Stanislaus County Alfalfa Production Meeting, Modesto, November 14, 1999, 26 people.

Mathews, M. Campbell. Measuring and Adjusting Lagoon Water Applications. Kings County Lagoon Water Field Day, Oliveira Dairy, Lemoore, CA, November 17,1999. 35 people

Harter, T. Why manage manure? - The groundwater connection. Kings County Lagoon Water Field Day, Oliveira Dairy, Lemoore, CA, November 17,1999. 35 people.

Meyer, R. D. Soil nitrogen following the use of dairy lagoon water on corn. Kings County Lagoon Water Field Day, Oliveira Dairy, Lemoore, CA, November 17,1999. 35 people.

Meyer, R. D., "Manure Use in Crop Production", 11/15/99, California Fertilizer Association, "1999 CFA Nutrient Conference", Certified Crop Advisors, 75 attended, Sacramento, CA

Meyer R. D., "Manure Use in Crop Production",11/16/99, California Fertilizer Association, "1999 CFA Nutrient Conference", Certified Crop Advisors, , 125 attended, Fresno, CA

Mathews, M. Campbell, 'Experiences Using Dairy Lagoon Water as a Nutrient Source for Corn Silage', Fertilizer Research and Education Program (CDFA-FREP) and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC-SAREP), Modesto, November 30, 1999, 45 people

Mathews, M. Campbell, Practical Experiences using Dairy Lagoon Water as a Nutrient Source for Crops, EPA/NRCS ad hoc meeting, Modesto, December 3, 1999 16 people

Harter, T. "Monitoring Groundwater Quality on Dairies" NRCS Agency Meeting, Modesto December 3, 1999.
Mathews, M. Campbell, 'Control of Dairy Lagoon Water Applications in Alfalfa',1999 California Alfalfa Symposium, Fresno, CA Dec 9, 1999, 185 people

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #1 - Manure Composition and Management. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Stanislaus County, Modesto. December 10, 1999.

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #2 - How to Measure and Adjust Lagoon Water Applications. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Stanislaus County, Modesto. December 17, 1999.

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #3 - Balancing Nutrient Applications with Crop Uptake. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Stanislaus County, Modesto. January 7, 2000.

Harter, T. "Groundwater Quality Control and Monitoring on Dairies", half-day workshop with three lectures (all by Harter), UCCE Stanislaus County, Modesto. January 14, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #1 - Manure Composition and Management. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Tulare County, Visalia. January 31, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #2 - How to Measure and Adjust Lagoon Water Applications. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Tulare County, Visalia. February 7, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #3 - Balancing Nutrient Applications with Crop Uptake. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Tulare County, Visalia. February 14, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #1 - Manure Composition and Management. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Tulare County, Tulare. February 2, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #2 - How to Measure and Adjust Lagoon Water Applications. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Tulare County, Tulare. February 15, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #3 - Balancing Nutrient Applications with Crop Uptake. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Tulare County, Tulare. February 29, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #1 - Manure Composition and Management. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Stanislaus County, Modesto. February 4, 2000

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #2 - How to Measure and Adjust Lagoon Water Applications. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Stanislaus County, Modesto. February 11, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #3 - Balancing Nutrient Applications with Crop Uptake. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Stanislaus County, Modesto. February 18, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell, 'Using Dairy Lagoon Water on Almonds', Calif. Farmers' Alliance breakfast meeting, Modesto, February 16, 2000 11 people

Harter, T. "Shallow Groundwater Quality and Large Dairies: Experiences and Challenges in the Northern San Joaquin Valley." EPA, NRCS Agency Meeting, San Francisco, CA. February 22, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell 'Practical Experiences using Dairy Lagoon Water as a Nutrient Source for Crops & Data Gaps in Dairy Nutrient Management Implementation'. EPA, NRCS Agency Meeting, San Francisco, CA, February 22, 2000.

Harter, T. "Groundwater Quality Control and Monitoring on Dairies." half-day workshop with three lectures (all by Harter), UCCE Stanislaus County, Modesto. February 25, 2000.

Harter, T. "Groundwater Monitoring" workshop for LAWR class HYD 151, "Field Methods in Hydrology". Hilmar, CA. February 26, 2000.

Harter, T. "Groundwater Quality Control and Monitoring on Dairies." half-day workshop with three lectures (all by Harter), UCCE Tulare County, Visalia. February 28, 2000.

Harter, T. "Groundwater Quality Control and Monitoring on Dairies." half-day workshop with three lectures (all by Harter), UCCE Tulare County, Visalia. March 1, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #1 - Manure Composition and Management. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Stanislaus County, Modesto. March 3, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #2 - How to Measure and Adjust Lagoon Water Applications. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Stanislaus County, Modesto. March 10, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell and C. Frate. Session #3 - Balancing Nutrient Applications with Crop Uptake. Using Lagoon Water Nutrients for Crop Production. UCCE Stanislaus County, Modesto. March 17, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell, 'Update on Nutrient Management with Dairy Lagoon Water' Stanislaus County Farm Bureau Board of Directors Meeting, March 7, 2000. 32 people

Harter, T. "Assessment/Monitoring of Groundwater Quality Impacts from AFOs." DANR Animal Industries Continuing Conference held in Davis. March 23, 2000.

Harter, T. "Shallow Groundwater Quality And Large Dairies: Experiences and Challenges in the Northern San Joaquin Valley " RWQCB, Sacramento. April 13, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell 'Practical Experiences using Dairy Lagoon Water as a Nutrient Source for Crops & Data Gaps in Dairy Nutrient Management Implementation'. State and Regional Water Quality Control Board ad hoc meeting. Sacramento, April 13, 2000. 27 people

Mathews, M. Campbell and Frate, Carol. 'Using Dairy Lagoon Water For Crop Production,' California Environmental Health Association pre-conference shortcourse (condensed to 6 hrs). Fresno, April 25, 2000, 8 people

Harter, T. "Dairy Waste Management and Monitoring: The Groundwater Story." 2000 Annual Educational Symposium: "Navigating the Future of Environmental Health: Turning Tomorrow Into Today." California Environmental Health Association, Fresno. April 28, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell, 'How to Sample Dairy Lagoon Water' UCCE Flow Meter Field Day, Tulare, May 9, 2000, 19 people

Harter: "Dairy Waste Management and Monitoring: The Groundwater Story" Ad Hoc Drainage Task Force Meeting. Turlock Irrigation District, Turlock. May 21, 2000.

Mathews, M. Campbell, 'Update on Nutrient Management with Dairy Lagoon Water' Turlock Irrigation District Ad Hoc Drainage Task Force Meeting, Turlock, May 22, 2000, 7 people.

Mathews, M. Campbell, 'Using Dairy Lagoon Water to Accurately Fertilize Trees' BIOS Field Day, Clauss Dairy, Hilmar, May 23, 2000, 17 people

Mathews, M. Campbell, 'Recap the Fertility Benefits of Dairy Lagoon Water' Committee for Sustainable Agriculture Merced Dairy Conference, Merced, May 25, 2000, 70 people

Mathews, M. Campbell, 'Field Study Using Dairy Lagoon Water to Grow Forage Crops', Committee for Sustainable Agriculture Merced Dairy Conference Field Tour, Hilmar, May 25, 2000, 28 people

Mathews, M. Campbell, 'Using a flow meter and N quick test to manage dairy nutrient water' Monsanto Conservation Tillage Field Day, Hilmar, June 20, 2000, 31 people.

Mathews, M. Campbell, 'Using Dairy Lagoon Water Wisely' Turlock Irrigation District Water Quality Meeting, Turlock, June 27, 2000, 16 people.

Mathews, M. Campbell and Carol Frate. 'Nitrogen Uptake by Crops' NRCS in-service nutrient management training. July 11, 2000 (Davis), July 24 (Fresno) and August 22 (Riverside), 30 total.

2000-2002:
Harter, T., "Why lagoon water management matters to groundwater quality," UCCE Stanislaus Dairy Flow Meter Day, September 21, 2000, Hilmar/Modesto, CA, 40 people.

Eagle, A. J., R.J. Zasoski, E. S. Littlefield, G. S. Pettygrove, M. C. Mathews, "Determination of ammonium and organic N in dairy waste pond water," Annual Meeting American Society of Agronomy, November, 5-9, 2000, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Mathews, Marsha C., "Using lagoon water as a nutrient source for crops", Update for CAPCA (California Association of Professional Crop Advisors), November 7, 2000, Modesto, CA

Mathews, Marsha C., "Update on lagoon nutrient management", Modesto Junior College, November 14, 2000, Modesto, CA.

Mathews, Marsha C., "Using lagoon water nutrients to grow crops", National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Executive Meeting, November 15, 2000, Modesto, CA

Mathews, Marsha C., "Update on lagoon water nutrient management work", East Stanislaus Conservation District Board of Directors, December 19, 2000, Modesto, CA.

Mathews, Marsha C., "Update on lagoon water nutrient management work", California Dairy Campaign Board of Directors, December 21, 2000, Modesto, CA.

Mathews, M. C., "Managing Diary Lagoon Water to Avoid Groundwater Contamination," California Farm Bureau Federation diary advisory committee meeting, Jan 28, 2001, Sacramento, CA.

Mathews, Marsha C., "Putting Dairy Nutrient Management into Practice", California Plant and Soil Conference, February 7, 2001, Fresno, California.

Mathews, Marsha C., "Composition, samping, and analysis of dairy lagoon water," California Plant and Soil Conference, February 7, 2001, Fresno, California.

Harter, T., "Dairy nutrient management effects on groundwater quality: A case study," California Plant and Soil Conference, February 7, 2001, Fresno, California

Meyer, R.D, Thomas Harter, Western Nutrient Management Conference, March 8-9, 2001, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Mathews, M. C., "Using Dairy Nutrient Water to Grow Good Crops," Irrigation district sponsored water management seminars, April 10 - 19, 2001, Oakdale, Turlock and Modesto, CA.

Mathews, M. C., "Using Dairy Nutrient Water to Grow Good Crops" Dairy Waster Management Seminar, Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center, May 5, 2001, Tulare, CA.

Mathews, M. C., "Managing dairy nutrient applications on Winter forages," Small Grains Workgroup Meeting, UC Davis, May 15, 2001, Davis, CA.

Mathews, M. C., "Managing Diary Lagoon Water to Avoid Groundwater Contamination," Western United Dairymen board of directors, June 15, 2001 Modesto, CA.

Mathews, M. C., "Matching Dairy Lagoon Nutrient Application to Crop Uptake using a Flow Meter and Control Valve," NRCS Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan Committee, Sept 7, 2001, Davis, CA

Mathews, M. C., "Practical Dairy Nutrient Management Plans," Certified Crop Consultants Continuing Education Conference, October 9, 2001 Fresno, CA and October 10, 2001 Woodland, CA.

Harter, T., "Dairy Farming and Groundwater Quality," Western Dairy Veterinary Medicine Academy, October 20, 2001, San Diego, CA, 22 people.

Mathews, M. C., "Phosphorus and Potassium in Manures and Implications for Crop Use presentation at P and K on the Dairy," grower/consultant meeting, Nov 16, 2001, Tulare, CA.

Mathews, M. C., "Update on Dairy Nutrient Management Research and Demonstrations," Dairy Quality Assurance Workgroup, December 4, 2001, Davis,CA.

Mathews, M. C., "Using a Flow meter to apply dairy nutrients to forage crops," Tour stop, Alfalfa and Forage Symposium Tour, December 11, 2001, Hilmar, CA.

Mathews, M. C., "Timing Nitrogen Applications in Corn and Winter Forage," 31st California Alfalfa and Forage Symposium, December 11-13, Modesto, CA.

Mathews, M. C., Jeff Strom, Author G. Crowell, Loren Lopes, "Using Dairy Lagoon Nutrients to Produce High Yielding Crops: System Design and Use," 31st California Alfalfa and Forage Symposium, December 11-13, Modesto, CA.

Mathews, M. C., Carol Frate et al, "Using Dairy Lagoon Nutrients for Crop Production Shortcourse,"January and February 2002, Modesto, Tulare and Riverdale, CA.

Mathews, M. C., "Case Studies in Nutrient Management," California Society of Professional Soil Scientists," March 1, 2002, Sacramento, CA.

Mathews, M. C., "Update on Dairy Waste Management Issues," Stanislaus County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, March 5, 2002, Modesto, CA.

Mathews, M. C., "Applying Dairy Manure to Winter Forages," UCCE Afalfa and Forage Workgroup, March 7, 2002 Modesto, CA.

Project Support
This project was made possible by an unusual amount of in-kind contributions and an unmeasurable amount of enthusiasm from cooperating dairy owners, students, student-interns, and field labor. UC SAREP provided a small but critical amount of funding to get this project jump-started. We hereby acknowledge the numerous contributions by the many project participants. A big Thank You to everyone who participated in this endeavor!

In-kind contributions to the CDRF/SAREP project (equivalent $ value in parenthesis):
Master's thesis (CDRF/SAREP cost: $600/month for 6 months):
* Martin Vander Schans ($ 40K; this is the typical cost for a master's thesis at UC Davis for two year part-time research assistant support)
Internships (CDRF/SAREP cost: $600/month per intern):
* Alexander Fritz (University of Freiburg), 3 months, prepared a GIS map of the project site ($6K if it were done through contract labor)
* Eric Gandois (University of Bordeaux), 2 months, prepared an analysis of soil nitrogen leaching ($10K if it were paid as a one year, part-time research assistantship)
* Marc Grevet (University of Bordeaux), 2 months, prepared a preliminary nitrogen cycle tool ($10K if it were paid as a one year, part-time research assistantship)
* Joseph Dvorcak (Czechoslovakia), 4 months, field and laboratory assistance ($12K if it were done through contract labor at equivalent training status)
Senior Employment, Stanislaus County (CDRF cost: none):
* Royal Coleman, 20 months, half-time, support with task "nitrogen uptake of winter forages" and laboratory work (valued at lab technician level, $13/hour; $10K)
Principal Investigators (UC salaries and contributions from extension budget):
* Harter, UCD (25% time, 6 years): ~ 110K
* Meyer, UCD (30% time, 4 years): ~ 100K
* Campbell-Mathews (50% time, 4 years): ~ 100K


Additional research, extension, and farm support money generated through this project in direct support of the project objectives:
* UC SAREP Biologically Integrated Farming Systems Project (Harter is technical advisor, Campbell-Mathews is a project participant), demonstration project involving almost one dozen dairies in the San Joaquin Valley to apply manure nutrient management: $300K
* Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board for support of the UC Dairy Committee of Consultants (task: summarize current state of research and technology in manure handling and nutrient management), 2001-2002: $90K
* Federal EPA and State Water Resources Control Board through federal Clean Water Act, Section 319 funding, 2001-2004: $350K to Campbell-Mathews for demonstration project that provides one-on-one dairy operator mentoring and assistance to apply techniques that have been developed as part of the CDRF project.
* USDA EQIP and related program funding to Campbell-Mathews for implementation of dairy lagoon water shortcourse/class series and nutrient management research, 1998-2000: $230K
* UC DANR Workgroup funding for pond water characterization, nitrogen uptake on winter forage, 2000-2001: $15K
* USDA EQIP funding for flow meters is now awarded on account of CDRF funded research work. This funding goes directly to dairy operators (total award amounts not known for California; in Stanislaus and San Joaquin County, NRCS awarded a total of $300K in EQIP funds to dairies during 2000 and 2001. There, proposals that include installation of a flow meter for manure management is given a competitive advantage).


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