Discovery Farms performs research on privately owned farms throughout the state of Wisconsin. We work with a wide range of agricultural enterprises to determine the environmental impacts of production agriculture. We have established a robust and reliable database of how different farms contribute in terms of environmental enhancement or degradation. See the variety of on-farm research projects we have completed and what we currently manage.
Edge-of-Field
Edge-of-field surface monitoring projects are 5 to 7-year studies that focus on increasing the understanding of the relationship between a specific farming system or landscape setting and water quality. We’ve completed research on nine Core Farms. We are currently conducting research on two farms in southeast Wisconsin as part of a Core Farm Cluster and…
Leachate
Leachate collection systems on three private farms in Wisconsin were monitored from 2012 to 2015. 550 events were sampled to better understand the timing and magnitude of nutrient loss from bunker silos.Want to learn more about leachate? View more resources »
USGS Real Time Data
Janesville Core Farms West Janesville Edge of Field 1 West Janesville Edge of Field 5 South Janesville Edge of Field 1 South Janesville Edge of Field 2 Weather station located in West Janesville Antigo Flats partner sites Antigo Edge of Field 1 Antigo Edge of FIeld 2 Antigo Edge of Field 3 DK Demo Farms partner…
Watershed Projects
Water quality monitoring in a watershed offers a unique opportunity to compare nutrient and soil losses between different farming systems.For seven years, Discovery Farms monitored water quality in the Jersey Valley and Dry Run Watersheds. Monitoring sites in the Jersey Valley and Dry Run Watersheds were in operation from fall of 2010 through fall of…
Tile Monitoring
Discovery Farms concluded monitoring agricultural tile drainage systems in northeastern Wisconsin and Minnesota in 2020. The goal of the project is to better understand the timing and mechanisms for soil and nutrient loss through tile systems. A full report of the three-year project is in the works and will be published in 2021. Monitoring in…
Nitrogen Use Efficiency
The Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) Project offers farmers and consultants the tools necessary to form a roadmap that supports how and why nitrogen is supplied. Project participants work with Discovery Farms to evaluate their current nitrogen management practices in order to fine-tune cropping systems. Our established dataset has enabled us to create Wisconsin-specific benchmarks for…