On Oct. 1, Wisconsin”s new non-point pollution rules took effect. Polluted runoff is a leading cause of surface and groundwater quality problems in the state. The rules, aimed in part at controlling phosphorus and soil erosion from farm fields, will affect thousands of Wisconsin farmers.

Now a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, led by soil physicist John Norman, will quantify the losses of dissolved and sediment-bound phosphorus. The team received a three-year, $548,000 grant to study in detail how much phosphorus and soil moves from farm fields into surface waters. The grant is one of only 13 the United States Department of Agriculture awarded from this program to scientists across the country in 2002.

The team will study two watersheds on a family farm in west central Wisconsin. That farm contains the headwaters of two tributaries to Traverse Valley Creek, a Class 1 trout stream.

The study”s findings will be widely applicable over the farm belt, and particularly useful in Wisconsin. The state”s hallmark dairy industry produces large amounts of phosphorus-rich manure, most of which is spread over agricultural fields. Surveys show that phosphorus levels in most Wisconsin farm soils exceed the phosphorus that crops need.

The researchers will incorporate new approaches to measuring phosphorus movement and express their results in the framework of a computer model. The model can then predict how farm management decisions will affect farm productivity and profitability as well as environmental quality, according to Norman.

Norman and his colleagues developed the computer model – called PALMS, for Precision Agricultural-Landscape Modeling System – to predict corn growth and yield. PALMS is designed with a user-friendly interface so that agricultural consultants can use it to provide guidance to farmers on compliance with regulations.

“The planned version of PALMS will strengthen the relationship between agricultural scientists, UW Cooperative Extension agents, agricultural consultants, and state regulatory agencies,” Norman says. “All of them can use the model as a common tool to study erosion and water pollution, evaluate non-point regulations, and advise farmers on cost-effective ways to comply with those regulations.”

The UW-Madison research group includes soil scientists, agronomists, economists, and engineers from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, as well as George Diak, Christine Molling and others from the UW-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center.

The scientists will work with a variety of individuals and agencies. They include Joe and Noel Bragger, on whose farm the research will be done. Other partners in the project include Wisconsin”s Discovery Farms Program, Soil Solutions Consulting, the United States Geological Survey, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, and UW Extension.

The Bragger farm is one of Wisconsin”s first Discovery Farms. The Discovery Farms Program is working to assure a healthy farm economy and a healthy environment through research with privately owned farms. The program is part of the Wisconsin Agriculture Stewardship Initiative. This initiative includes UW-Platteville”s Pioneer Farm, adaptive research on individual Discovery Farms, and component research conducted at UW institutions. For more information on Discovery Farms go to the program”s web site or call their office at (715) 983-5668.

The $548,000 grant is being provided by the National Integrated Water Quality Program, which is directed by the USDA”s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.