Spring 2021 Reduction in Fertilizer Incentive Program
Click here for the pdf application.
$1,000 awards are available to the first four applicants who meet these criteria:
1) Are members in good standing of the WWCC (membership form and completed 2020 Member Conservation Practice Survey on file)
2) Agree to have a researcher install soil water samplers (lysimeters) into a field for a minimum of two years to study how nitrate makes its initial move from soil surface to soils below the rooting zone
3) Complete this report about the acreage and location
4) Share subsequent outcomes that can be shared with other members and sponsors. The deadline is May 20, 2021.
The primary goal is to measure and track nitrate concentrations. The project aims to connect the nitrate trends we see below ground to our land use/fertilizer/agronomic activities above ground. This information should lead to better guidance for landowners concerning the practices that might be most effective in controlling nitrate losses from their particular setting.
Researchers would work with applicants to select an appropriate installation site. The installation would require the use of a backhoe to reach the correct installation depth. Normal production practices could likely resume at the site because samplers would be installed below tillage and planting depths. Applicants would be asked to share their nutrient/fertilizer/crop management plans so researchers could account for variability in sample results arising from land-use practices. All results will be shared privately with applicants and any data made public would be done so without identifying the applicant.
Please complete the information below and return this form to WWCC. Awards will be distributed in the order in which approved applications were received.