A statewide network for monitoring agricultural water quality and water quantity in Arkansas
2013
Reba, Michele L. | Daniels, Mike | Chen, Yushun | Sharpley, Andrew | Bouldin, Jennifer | Teague, Tina Gray | Daniel, Pearl | Henry, Chris G.
Arkansas produces the most rice, 3rd most cotton and 2nd most broilers of any state in the US. By 2050, agriculture will be asked to produce twice as much food, feed, and fiber for the projected world population, while challenged with reduced water availability from groundwater decline and increased pumping costs. Associated in part with agriculture, excess nutrients influence local and regional water quality, such as Chesapeake Bay eutrophication and Gulf of Mexico hypoxia. In response to these water resources issues, a network of agricultural edge-of-field monitoring sites was established in 2010 in Arkansas. The network was established in an effort to understand how management impacts water quality and water quantity. The objective of the network is to collect scientifically sound data at field scales under typical and conservation management practices for the region. These management practices in the network includes but is not limited to nutrient management, cover crops, conservation tillage, grassed waterways, riparian buffer, water management including irrigation planning, surface water storage, shallow water development for waterfowl use, water and control structures. Water inputs and outputs are quantified, and water quality including sediment, nitrogen (nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and total) and phosphorus (soluble, particulate, and total) are analyzed. Partners in the creation of this network include Arkansas State University, University of Arkansas, University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff, USDA-ARS, USDA-NRCS, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts and agricultural producers representing the major commodities of the state of Arkansas. The statewide network is described.
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