The Agriculture Water Quality Program’s webinar series is back for a fourth year, focusing on farming practices that impact ground and surface water quality. This free weekly webinar series will highlight the latest research in conservation practices that will give you new tools and resources to consider for your farm.
Webinars will be every Tuesday, February 3-March 24, from noon–1:00 p.m., with the exception of the Discovery Farms Multi-State webinar on March 24, which will be 2.5 hours from 9:00–11:30 a.m. CST.
CEU credits will be available for each webinar.
Registration is free but required.
February 3: Supporting Economic and Water Quality Opportunities Through Expanded Dairy Heifer Grazing
Raising dairy heifers on well managed pastures can improve soil health, water quality, and biodiversity. In addition to ecological benefits, heifer grazing offers cost savings to graziers, supporting viable farm enterprises. In this session we will learn about collaborative efforts to support increased dairy heifer grazing in the state.
Speakers: Sarah Lloyd, Value Chain Coordinator, Grassland 2.0, Stephanie Bowers, Extension Dairy Educator, and Paul Daigle, Dairy Grazing Specialist, Dairy Grazing Alliance
February 10: Diving Deeper Into Tile Drainage: Installation and Conservation Practice Considerations*
The use of tile drainage in Wisconsin is growing. Tile can help dry out a wet field, yet there are water quality concerns with increased nitrates in water discharging from the tile outlet. This session will dive deeper into tile and share data on how bioreactors and other conservation practices impact nutrient losses, and discuss considerations when choosing which practices fit your operation.
Speakers: Matt Helmers, Professor, Iowa State University and Director, Iowa Nutrient Research Center and Margaret Zimmer, Associate Professor, Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, UW–Madison
February 17: Reducing Phosphorus Losses by Pushing Beyond the Basics*
Phosphorus is essential in crop growth, yet its journey from field to waterway creates one of the most persistent challenges. This webinar will share research on how P interacts in the environment, especially at the shallow top two inches of soil. The audience will be pushed to consider how different types of phosphorus act during different times of the year and make farming discussions accordingly.
Speakers: Laura Paletta, UW–Madison Extension Ag Water Quality Outreach Specialist and Steve Hoffman, President and Managing Agronomist, InDepth Agronomy
February 24: A Bird’s Eye View of On-Farm Conservation
Tired of looking at next steps in your conservation journey from the ground? Join us in the sky to get a bird’s eye view of on-farm conservation! Open your eyes to the whole landscape; what can you observe on your farm? Matt Oehmichen offers his experience as an agronomist and Water Action Volunteer to support broadening our view of what conservation practices on the farm can mean for stream health and wildlife. Sheri Schwert brings in examples from Discovery Farms research on how farm management practices affect water quality, including in-stream data.
Speakers: Sheri Schwert, UW–Madison Extension Ag Water Quality Outreach Specialist and Matt Oehmichen, Agronomist, Farm Manager, and Water Action Volunteer
March 3: Finding The Right N Rate Balancing Yield, Profitability, and Water Quality
This session centers one question: can we find a nitrogen rate that balances yield, profitability, and water quality? Outreach specialist Guolong Liang and Extension Specialist Dr. Matt Ruark will talk about why it’s important to find the right rate, the process we use in generating N rate guidelines, the challenge farmers face to find the balance among yield, profitability, and nitrogen loss reduction.
Speakers: Guolong Liang, UW–Madison Extension Ag Water Quality Outreach Specialist and Matt Ruark, Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, UW-Madison, and Discovery Farms Co-Faculty Advisor
March 10: Understanding Nitrogen Leaching and Water Budget Measurements
There are many reasons to measure nitrate leaching and water budgets to support both water quality and quantity goals in Wisconsin. For water quality, nitrogen leaching measurements can help understand whether management practices are increasing or decreasing nitrogen loading to groundwater. For water quantity, water budgeting can help understand how different management practices are impacting groundwater recharge or replenishment of aquifers. Outreach Specialist Izze McNamee and Extension Specialist Mallika Nocco will share approaches and tools for measuring and understanding nitrate leaching and water budgets.
Speakers: Izze McNamee, UW–Madison Extension Ag Water Quality Outreach Specialist and Dr. Mallika Nocco, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, UW–Madison
March 17: Impacts of Cereal Rye as a Cover Crop Depending on Farm Goals
Using cereal rye as a cover crop can be beneficial for many aspects, like impacts on water quality, soil health, and weed management. These speakers will share data that compares cover crop seeding rate to find what rate is needed for these benefits. The speakers will also discuss impacts to consider at different seedings rates, like nitrogen management.
Speakers: Rodrigo Werle, UW–Madison Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Francisco Arriaga, UW–Madison Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, and Matt Ruark, UW–Madison Professor and Extension Specialist and Discovery Farms Co-Faculty Advisor
March 24: Discovery Farms 2026 Multi-State Webinar
Discovery Farms® Programs in Wisconsin, Vermont, Arkansas, and Minnesota will present program updates and new data. Join this interactive webinar to learn more about farmer-led water quality research in these four states and celebrate 25 years of the Discovery Farms Program. This 2.5 hour webinar will begin at 9:00 a.m. CST.
Speakers: TBD
