The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week that it will begin collecting data in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to determine the effectiveness of farming and conservation practices being implemented on cultivated cropland.
The survey work is part of the 2011 National Resources Inventory Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP), which encourages farmers to adopt water- and soil-protecting best management practices both independently and through public assistance programs.
A newly released CEAP study of the Great Lakes region demonstrated that conservation tillage and other such agricultural practices have reduced the amount of sediment (50% decline), phosphorus (36%) and nitrogen (37%) entering rivers and streams.
How do you anticipate the Chesapeake Bay region will fare in comparison? And what are farmers in your area doing to control erosion and manage nutrients on their fields? Please share your input with Water & Wastes Digest at [email protected].
