Information Collected
Environmental and farm management data are collected at each Discovery Farm. Water samples are gathered automatically at monitoring stations whenever water flows from the field through either surface runoff or drain tile flow. Samples are tested for sediment, nutrients, and other parameters. Specific data collected are:
Farm Management Data
- Crop - type, variety, planting and harvest date, and yield
- Fertilization - type, application rate, and date
- Tillage - type, residue remainaing, and date
- Pest management - methods and date
- Soil and manure testing - value and date
Environmental Data
- Weather Data - precipitation, temperature, and moisture
- Water Quantity - runoff volume
- Water Quality - total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, nitrate+nitrite, ammonia nitrogen, total kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, soluble ortho phosphorus, and chloride
