The training group had multiple visits from Ella and Cora, site managers of the 80-acre farm.

Geoprobe® Technology Used for University of Wisconsin Agricultural Research Program

A small group of selected farms throughout the state of Wisconsin are participating in a University of Wisconsin-based Discovery Farms Program to help find the most economical solutions to overcoming challenges environmental regulations have placed on farmers. Developed in 2001, the Discovery Farms Program consists of working, commercial Wisconsin farms that conduct on-farm systems research that will help evaluate management strategies and practices aimed at reducing nonpoint source pollution while also protecting farm profitability.

The University looked to Geoprobe Systems® for equipment to gather subsurface information that was accurate, easyto- use, and had minimal impact on the environment. In September, Lee Shaw, Geoprobe® Customer Service, delivered a Geoprobe® Model 540B to the University primarily for determining the depth to bedrock, and for installing monitoring equipment and retrieving core samples for testing. Eight individuals with Discovery Farms gathered at one of the program farms southwest of Osseo to get acquainted with the machine’s capabilities and for training. According to Dr. Fred Madison, Co-Director of Discovery Farms, “This program has helped shape and improve water quality rules and regulations, as well as had a major impact on how and when farmers apply nutrients to their fields.” So how does Geoprobe® equipment factor into this? “This equipment will allow us to explore unlithified materials easily and quickly to depths of 35 to 40 feet,” he continued. “It’s exactly what we needed!”

You’re never too young or too old or too bovine to learn! The farm’s cattle herd remained curious most of the day and never seemed to tire of hearing about soil samples. They were impressed to hear that Geoprobe® equipment will have minimal impact on their environment, and will not produce cuttings that require disposal.

The program has conducted research on ten farms located in a variety of physiographic and geologic regions of the state. According to Dennis Frame, Co-Director of Discovery Farms, the people involved with the program don’t assume anything when they start working on a farm. “We monitor fields or watershed to determine if an operation has a negative impact on the environment,” he said. “This is critical. We have had operations that, according to models or conventional wisdom, would contribute to water quality problems, but in fact, had very little negative impact and actually had a positive impact on water quality. If we can identify potential challenges, we work with the producers to determine how to correct problems identified on their operations. The practices we recommend are always the most economical.”
Additional information on the University’s Discovery Farms Program is available at www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org, or by contacting Judy Goplin, Discovery Farms Program Assistant at jgoplin@wisc.edu. The University of Wisconsin is among the growing number of universities and colleges who have selected Geoprobe® equipment and technology for research assistance and teaching opportunities.

The University of Wisconsin Discovery Farms Training Group at a farm southwest of Osseo, WI: (l to r) Dr. Fred Madison, UW Discovery Farms Co-Director; Paul Kivlin, Nutrient & Pest Management Outreach Specialist; Dennis Frame, Co-Director; Eric Cooley, Outreach Specialist; Kevan Klingberg, Outreach Specialist; Nancy Drummy, Outreach Specialist; Pete Chase, Outreach Specialist; Pete Wakeman, Soil Science Research Specialist; and Lee Shaw, Geoprobe® Customer Service. Although not always focused, Ella (the dog) was also present for most of the days’ training.

Eric Cooley, an Outreach Specialist with the University of Wisconsin’s Discovery Farms Program, uses a DT22 Liner Cutter to view a sample taken during a training session with the University’s new Model 540B. Nancy Drummy and Pete Wakeman, both involved with the Discovery Farms Program, also took part in the day’s training at a farm near Osseo, WI.