Slide 1

Achieving Effective Conservation

in the Upper Mississippi

River Basin

CEAP—Conservation Effects Assessment Project

What CEAP Reveals ― Overview of the Upper Mississippi Basin

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Conservation practices work Comprehensive planning is needed because suites of

practices work better than single practicesTargeting critical acres improves effectiveness

significantly The most critical conservation issue is reducing the

loss of nutrients, especially nitrogen

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What CEAP Reveals ― Conservation Practices Work

Protected Soil Unprotected Soil

Compared to no conservation practices:• Sediment loss reduced by 69 %• Total phosphorous loss reduced by 49 %• Total nitrogen loss reduced by 18 %• Pesticide risks to human health reduced by 48 %

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What CEAP Reveals ― Comprehensive Planning is Needed

• Surface nitrogen losses reduced by 46 % BUT subsurface losses are reduced by only 5 %

• Without nutrient practices, erosion control practices can increase subsurface nitrogen losses

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What CEAP Reveals ― Significant Progress Made in Reducing Erosion and Sedimentation

• 45 % of the cropland and 72 % of Highly Erodible land has structural practices

• 95 % of the cropland has reduced tillage, 71 % is no-till or mulch till

• Edge of field sediment loss reduced by 69 %

• In-stream sediment reduced by 37 %

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What CEAP Reveals ― Progress Has Been Made, but Opportunities Exist to Expand Nutrient Management

• Phosphorus losses have been reduced by 49 % but nitrogen losses have been reduced only by 18 %

• About 60 % of the cropland needs nutrient management, but much can be done. Examples:• Timing ─ Nitrogen is fall-applied on

45 % of the cropland acres• Rate ─ Nitrogen is applied at rates

greater than 1.4 times removal at harvest on 66 % of the cropland

• Method ─ Nitrogen is not soil incorporated, banded, or foliar/spot treated on 44 % ofcropland acres

What CEAP Reveals ― Conservation Practices Reduce Pesticide Risks Significantly

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• Pesticide risks to human health are very low ─ on average, only 1 % to 2 % of the pesticides applied are leaving fields

• Conservation practices have reduced the pesticide threats to human health by 48%

• Much can be done to further reduce pesticide losses: Rotations, Scouting, Precision Application

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What CEAP Reveals ― Cropland is Gaining Organic Carbon

• Cropland in the Upper Mississippi Basin sequesters about 7.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) annually

• This offsets the combustion of 0.75 billion gallons of gasoline, enough gasoline to power about 1.3 million cars for one year

• The average cropland acre, with existing conservation, has an annual net gain of 259 pounds of CO2e

• 5 % of the cropland is losing greater than 670 pounds of CO2e

• 5 % of the cropland is gaining more than 1,000 pounds of CO2e

• Erosion control practices can significantly increase sequestration rates by reducing losses of organic matter due to erosion.

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What CEAP Reveals ― Targeting Conservation Increases its Impact

• Targeting the most critical acres, compared to acres that have limited needs, increases practice effectiveness per acre:

• Over 5 times in reducing sediment• Over 4 times in reducing total Nitrogen• Over 3 times in reducing total Phosphorus

• The CEAP report is the beginning, additional information is needed for implementation:

• Soil leaching and run-offvulnerability maps

• Small watershed modeling• Stakeholders’ input• Water quality monitoring data

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So What?• Voluntary, incentive-based conservation works.

• Reduced tillage is used on 95 % of the cropland - sediment losses reduced 69 %.

• Nutrient management is the greatest need. • Much can be done through expanded adoption of existing practices.

• Targeting can greatly enhance program effectiveness.• Treating the most critical acres can have 3 to 5 times the benefit of

treating acres with less serious problems.• Comprehensive conservation

planning is essential.• Suites of practices that address

multiple resource concerns are more effective than single practices.

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