Increasing manure nutrient utilization with cover crops, understanding the role of tillage in these systems, and tracking the potential impact to surface and ground water will improve nutrient management recommendations to be more sustainable. Increasing economic and environmental sustainability must go hand-in-hand. The overall objective of this work is to quantify the fate of N and P and improve nutrient management recommendations for Wisconsin.

Increased cover crop use by farms in the Wisconsin Driftless Region will reduce erosion and improve water quality, as well as providing a potential additional revenue source if the cover crop is managed as a forage. Additionally, reduced erosion results in better crop productivity long-term. The data to be collected in this proposal would help improve cover crop recommendations for this unique region in the state. The overall goal of this work is to reduce soil erosion by providing local relevant information on cover crop species for the Wisconsin Driftless Region. Long-term this should result in improved nutrient utilization, water quality and less nutrient loading to the Mississippi River Drainage Basin.