Manitowoc County Discovery Farms Project
by Dennis Frame, UW Extension

Manitowoc County is  home to a Discovery Farms Special Project called the Manitowoc County Discovery Farms Project Area (DFPA). This project involves a number of county, state and federal agencies as well as local and statewide organizations. The project includes not only individual farm testing as done on traditional core Discovery farms, but also includes the following activities:

• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), University of Wisconsin-Extension, and local citizens are partnering in a stream monitoring program
• UW – Milwaukee WATER Institute is researching three beaches, including conducting DNA testing to determine the source of E. coli (livestock manure, seagulls, other)
• UW – Discovery Farms and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have installed four on-farm monitoring stations to identify the sources of sediment, nutrients and pathogens entering a coastal watershed from agricultural activities
• UW – Discovery Farms and the USGS are in the process of installing a tile line monitoring system to identify concentrations and loads of nutrients and pathogens exiting agricultural operations and other potential sources through tile systems
• Local health departments have, for the past few years, conducted testing of numerous Lake Michigan beach locations
• Within Manitowoc County, several departments are working on these issues and are in the process of implementing programs that include: adopting a well code, evaluation of rural septic systems to determine their impact on surface water, investigating the requirements for certification of commercial manure applicators, and exploring approaches to codifying locally new state standards for controlling nonpoint source pollution.

This multi-agency approach is necessary to identify the sources of nutrients, sediment and pathogens entering Lake Michigan. Once the sources are identified, the goal of the project is to develop an implementation strategy that will reduce or eliminate these sources and protect the lake.

Two widely publicized issues have triggered broad interest within Manitowoc County to identify and address specific challenges related to conservation and the coastal water resources. The first was the formation in January 2003 of the 16-member task force on Agricultural and Environmental Issues charged with answering the question: “Are Manitowoc County’s present policies, ordinances, and procedures adequate for our agricultural, environmental and land use needs?” For several years, this largely agricultural county has seen an increase in the number of rural, non-farm residences along with an increase in the average size of livestock operations. These conflicting land uses have contributed to tension between agricultural and non-agricultural interests.

After 18 months of work, the task force released a set of recommendations. These recommendations specified needs for: 1) developing a variety of educational initiatives; 2) conducting research on the sources of sediment, nutrients and pathogens reaching surface waters; 3) evaluating the need to develop local regulations to protect Lake Michigan; and importantly, 4) improving the coordination of local agencies involved in environmental and agricultural programs (UW-Extension, Planning and Parks, Soil and Water Conservation, NRCS, DNR, DATCP, etc.).

The second issue bringing recognition of conservation challenges was the high level of beach closings in the county. In 2003, Manitowoc County had the highest number of beach closures on Lake Michigan. The closings were in response to high levels of bacteria in the water, and in addition to the local concerns for public health, the closures raised broader concerns regarding their potential effects on tourism and their impact on shore-land property owners. In addition to the beach closings from elevated bacterial levels, over the past five years there has been a resurgence of macroalgae (predominantly Cladophora) along the coast of Lake Michigan. These algae blooms lead to unsightly and foul-smelling beaches and also raise concerns about negative economic consequences as a result of the lowered beach use. Cladophora blooms can also affect the quality of drinking water.

This is not a typical Discovery Farm project because it really looks at the watershed in which these farms are located instead of just one farm. This is a significantly larger area than Discovery Farms’ has dealt with before. The two local Discovery Farms are also very different in their management of the land. Soaring Eagle Dairy is a confinement operation, milking 550 cows and farming 900 acres. Saxon Homestead Farm is a 400 cow grazing facility with 900 acres for pasture and forage.

The Manitowoc County DFPA is a perfect example of a network of people working together towards a common goal. The project is a collaboration of efforts from agricultural, conservation, and environmental concerns. Manitowoc County government has been working with Discovery Farms’ staff in designing and funding this project. Also, the Manitowoc County DFPA is the first project in Discovery Farms’ history to raise local funding for their project. Manitowoc County is building on community support. The project includes a broad base of funding from local townships, the county, conservation groups, agricultural businesses and organizations, financial institutions and individuals. Local fundraising has already raised over $50,000 for this project. Furthermore, a grant was obtained from the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership specifically for funding educational projects, such as informing the public of the purpose, the science utilized, and the results of the research program.

The Manitowoc County DFPA has articulated a number of goals. The main scientific goal of the project is to identify and reduce the sources and stop the spread of phosphorus and E. coli into surface waters. However, another goal is for this project to unify the county, including environmental, recreational and agricultural enthusiasts. While they are starting to see results, they realize that they must keep the positive momentum flowing by keeping open lines of communication. The Manitowoc County team realizes that this project offers a fantastic opportunity to build community support and an understanding that will help agriculture thrive, while also keeping the environment clean for generations to come.