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i by Les Everett, WRC Minnesota Soil and Water Conserva- tion Districts and County Feedlot Officers, University Extension Educators, and livestock organizations have hosted 68 Nutrient Management Workshops since 2003 in which 7101ivestock and crop farmers have prepared nutrient manage- ment plans for two fields on their own farms. The farmers learn and apply the basics of nutrient management, using their own soil and manure tests, field maps, and cropping systems to develop their plans. They review the roles of spreader calibra- tion and other best management practices, and calculate fertilizer cost savings from implementing their plans. These potential cost savings have been instrumental in motivating producers to implement their plans. A series of pre-session, post-ses- sion, and following-year surveys indicate that the workshops have significantly Conference continued from page 1 after 1970_ It was suggested that perhaps climate change and land-use impacts work in tandem and are not two singular causes for change in water resources. "It is time to include climate change in water management," said Magnuson. The morning of the second day began with a panel presentation and ;. _ discussion titled "TMDLs: Im- paired Waters, Impaired Process? Three Perspectives on Improving the Process." The panel consisted :; of Walt Poole, TMDL Project Circuit Rider at America's Clean i Water Foundation, Michael Robert- son, Environmental Policy Coor- dinator at the Minnesota Chamber ~„r of Commerce, and Representative ~ ~y Dennis Ozment from the Minnesota `~ House of Representatives, and was moderated by Faye Sleeper of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agen- cy. Each panel member enlightened the audience with his viewpoint of the TMDL process, with a common thread being the necessary involvement of local stake- holders and. the money required develop TMDLs. Both Robertson and Ozment gave aclose-to-home perspective on the economic issue, with Robertson detailing increased the number of nutrient manage- ment plans and the implementation of nu- trient and manure recommended practices on the 513,000 acres managed by these producers. The pre-session survey indi- cated that about 60 percent of participants already were following recommended rates, calibrating manure spreaders, and keeping records, while 44 percent were taking full nutrient credit for manure. A year later, 70 percent of respondents (a 47- percent survey return rate) had completed their plans for the whole farm, either by themselves or with a consultant. Adoption of the above-listed practices had increased by about 20 percent, with a stated inten- tion to adopt within two years by another 14 percent. Clearly, the combination of feedlot rules and "hands on" education has made a difference in nutrient management. This will be the final winter for small- group nutrient management planning the proposal for a tiered wastewater fee for Minnesota homeowners and businesses, and Ozment reassuring the audience that Minnesota is ahead of other states in directing money to local groups for TMDL WRS students Hally Dolliver (I) and Heather Offerman (r) peruse the posters during a break from the concurrent sessions. development. Poole said that "TMDLs are a hopeful process and a guide for what we need to do for the future." Conference goers were treated to a luncheon presentation the second after- noon by Thomas Fontaine, Director of the Western Ecology Division of the National Health and Environmental Effects Labora- workshops for crop and livestock produc- ers. The project was extended into 2006 to accommodate livestock producers who are required to complete a nutrient manage- ment plan by January 2006 (operations over 300 animal units) and other farmers who wish to participate. Local organizations and agencies that would like to host one or more workshops should contact University Extension Edu- cator Kevin Blanchet by phone at (651) 480-7739 or email at blanc013@umn.edu soon to begin arrangements. The project provides funds to the local organizer to recruit producers and prepare them for the workshop. Kevin Blanchet, Jodi DeJong- Hughes, or another University Extension nutrient management specialists guide participants through preparation of the nutrient management plan. tory of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, titled "Everglades Restoration; A Remarkable Convergence of Science, Policy, Advocacy, and Law." He described the massive undertaking of restoring the Florida Everglades, that were hydro- logically altered to turn the wetlands into farmable land, and the design of ~ large-scale pilot restorations that will guide the entire restoration of this "=i unique ecosystem. Overarching the two-day event j were 20 concurrent sessions, which { included individual presentations ~ ranging from "Estimating the Non- point Source Pollution Contribution of the Twin Cities Metro Area" and "Measuring the Sustainability of (~. Water Management in the U.S." to A ' 3 "Impacts of Perennial Vegetation on the Hydrologic Stability and the Eco- nomic Viability in Watersheds of the Minnesota River Basin' and "Model- ing Long-Term Nitrate Losses in Response to Changes in Fertilizer Application Rate and Timing." The WRC is in the process of reviewing suggestions submitted by attendees, but it appears that the joint con- ference format was well received. Minnegram 4