NEXT BALMM MEETING - October 16, 9-12 am, Rochester MPCA. Agenda
includes: Agriculture as a Recycling System - A presentation by Myron Just, Executive Director, Minnesota Agri-Growth Council. Also BALMM will give a priority ranking to 319 projects developed for the basin, including several that have been developed as part of an implementation strategy for the Regional Fecal Coliform TMDL. Among these are projects for livestock management in sensitive riparian areas; increased engineering expertise for implementing the Open Lot Agreement; a range of communication/record-keeping systems for septic system activities, for counties, combined with cost-share funds for unsewered community studies; promotion of composting; and a Straight River project combining feedlot technical assistance with a comprehensive strategy for riparian buffer implementation. Also, planning on the Water Quality Orientation for Elected Officials will proceed, and next steps to implement a Southeast Minnesota CREP will be outlined.

REGIONAL TMDL IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS: The following individual 319 projects are being submitted in fall 2002 to implement the Regional Fecal Coliform TMDLs.
-- Improved Livestock Management in Sensitive Riparian Areas - Minnesota Department of Agriculture
-- Promoting the Adoption of Manure Composting - Whitewater River Watershed Partnership
-- Reduction of Fecal Coliform Bacteria from Human Sources - Southeast Minnesota Water Resources Board
-- Straight River Fecal Coliform Reduction Project - Cannon River Watershed Partnership
-- Targeted Feedlot Engineering Assistance for the Lower Mississippi River Basin in Minnesota - SE SWCD Technical Support Joint Powers Board

In addition, a Clean Water Partnership Phase II Implementation grant application is being submitted for the South Branch Root River project.

WATER QUALITY ISSUES ORIENTATION SET FOR NOV. 18: It's a BALMM first - the "Water Quality Issues Orientation for Elected Officials in Southeast Minnesota." Here's the idea. BALMM has been in business about three years. Much has been accomplished, more is in the works. But not everybody knows who we are and what we do - and what we need to accomplish our near term goals. In particular, we're in the final stages of polishing our CREP application for 95,500 acres in Southeast Minnesota, by far our most ambitious project to date. We're ramping up efforts to address fecal coliform sources such as feedlots, poorly functioning septic systems, and unsewered areas. It's time we made a serious, deliberate attempt to explain to elected officials how BALMM works, the objectives we are working to achieve, and the resources needed to achieve them. So we're inviting elected officials from all levels - township, county/SWCD, state and federal representatives - to spend November 18 getting oriented to BALMM, the potential and threats to water resources in the area, budget constraints facing state agencies (all this in the morning), and then choosing from among several concurrent workshops that provide an orientation to feedlots, septic systems, stormwater, wellhead protection and other state/county programs that we work through to make progress in land use and waste treatment. Invitations will go out shortly. It's at the Heintz Center in Rochester, starting at 10:00 am, following the monthly meeting of the SE Minnesota Water Resources Center. Watch for details.

DRIFTLESS AREA INITIATIVE - FOCUS ON DAIRY AND FORAGE: A newly forming BALMM-like group called the Driftless Area Initiative (DAI) is meeting No.v 6-7 just north of La Crosse to focus on an issue of crucial importance to land use in the region: the dairy sector. The DAI consists of resource management professionals from the driftless area of SE Minnesota, NE Iowa, NW Illinois, and SW Wisconsin. The RC&D's in each of the states is providing support and connectiveness across state borders. The DAI aims to promote sustainable land use in the varied and vulnerable landscape that bears its name.

Land use trends in the project area between 1982 and 1997 are alarming, mirroring those in the BALMM area: A 20% reduction in hay and pasture acreage; 60% increase in soybean acreage. This is happening as dairy has declined rapidly. Milk cow numbers declined by an average of 31% during the same period in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and predictions are that Minnesota will lose 32% more of its dairy cattle between 2000 and 2010.

The meeting starts at 9 am Nov. 6, runs through the day, and picks up again for another morning of discussions on Nov. 7. A full plate of dairy experts, from UW-Extension, to practicing rotational graziers, to larger scale dairy operators and those working with the Minnesota Dairy Initiative and NE Iowa Dairy Foundation are among the speakers and participants. The goal is to develop strategies for maintaining an economically and environmentally healthy dairy sector, and associated hay and pasture use of the land, to prevent the further encroachment of row-crops into the area.

All those interested in this subject are welcome to participate. For more information, contact Judy Martinson, NE Iowa RC&D: 563/864-7112.

Directions: Meeting location Town of Holland, Town Hall, W7937 County Road MH, about five miles north of Onalaska. Take Hwy. 53 north, exit on MH, go west 1.5 miles. Building is on north side of the road. If you reach the end of MH you have gone too far.

DON'T EVEN THINK OF APPLYING FALL N: That's the headline of a news release sent out by UM Extension recently. Here's the text: "It's an annual ritual that needs to change: Each fall during soybean harvest many southern Minnesota farmers plan to fall-apply nitrogen for next year's corn. However, fall application of N is not recommended in the seven-county area of Dakota, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Olmsted, Wabasha and Winona counties of southeastern Minnesota.

"If you farm in this seven-county area, don't even think about fall applying N unless you want to increase the risk of polluting your drinking water or decreasing profits," says Gyles Randall. Randall is a University of Minnesota soil
scientist at the Southern Research and Outreach Center at Waseca.

Randall says fall application of N produces a greater risk of nitrate leaching to the ground water in this Karst area because of high average annual precipitation and the well-drained, permeable nature of most soils. Research in Goodhue County has shown that 60 percent of the nitrate-N in the top five feet of the soil profile
in mid-November was not found the following May, Randall says. And in Olmsted County studies, nitrate-N concentrations in the soil water at the 5-foot depth after harvest were 50 to 70 percent greater with fall-applied N
compared to spring applications in.

Grain yields were not consistently affected, but in wetter years yields were seven to 10 bushels per acre lower with fall application, Randall says. Recent research
comparing spring applications of anhydrous ammonia, urea and UAN (28% urea-ammonium nitrate solution) in Olmsted County has not shown a consistent yield difference among these three N sources.

MESSAGE TO FARMERS: AVOID AGGRESSIVE TILLAGE: A news release sent out from U of M Extension in early September had this message for farmers. "Take advantage of the lull before fall harvest to plan for tillage operations this fall. For starters, be site selective with tillage, advises Gyles Randall, University of Minnesota soil scientist at the Southern Research and Outreach Center at Waseca. For example, avoid tillage on more erosive parts of fields.

"We're actually seeing more aggressive tillage--leaving less surface residue--now than we did 10 years ago in many fields," Randall says. "Tillage equipment is being pulled deeper and faster, thus burying more residue, especially if there are disks on the implement."

A good place to start reducing tillage is on corn ground going to soybeans next year, Randall says. Soybeans can easily be no-till drilled or planted in wider rows into standing corn stalks. Fall tillage of soybean ground is not necessary unless you're incorporating manure or knifing in anhydrous ammonia; both practices do some tillage.

Strip tillage of soybean ground for next year's corn is a good alternative to no-till in Minnesota, Randall says. "If you're considering strip-till, try to lease a strip-till unit this fall and try it on your own land," he advises.

The corn-soybean rotation provides very little protection from erosion during April through June, when our most intense thunderstorms occur. Randall says, "This means we need to implement practices to prevent erosion in this highly erosive crop rotation, especially on soils with slopes greater than four percent."

"We must remember that soil erosion does more than reduce the quality and productivity of soil," Randall says. "It also contributes significant sediment and phosphorus to surface waters, causing eutrophication and serious water quality concerns as well."

This is an excellent time to visit your NRCS office, become acquainted with conservation practices and seek technical and financial assistance supported by the Farm Bill. "It's not too early to start because the process may take time," Randall says. Conservation practices including grass waterways, buffer strips, and contour strips planted to grass perennials are excellent erosion control measures. Randall says they're even more effective when combined with reduced or no tillage on the more erodible portions of the landscape.

History tells us the productivity and quality of some of the finest and most productive soils in the world have been compromised greatly by soil erosion and passive concerns toward soil stewardship, Randall says. "It's time we take the consequences of erosion seriously," Randall says. "Otherwise, future generations will only be able to read historical accounts about the rich, highly productive soils we enjoy instead of experiencing them like we have."

Source: Gyles Randall (507) 835-3620, grandall@soils.umn.edu
Editor: Jack Sperbeck (612) 625-1794, sperb001@umn.edu

30TH ANNIVERSARY OF CLEAN WATER ACT & NATIONAL WATER MONITORING DAY
CELEBRATION: This takes place on Harriet Island, St. Paul - Oct. 18, 12:00-4:00 pm. Celebrate the history and impact of the Clean Water Act, the renaissance of the Urban Mississippi River, and the importance of monitoring in improving water quality. Exhibits open at 12:00 noon. A plenary session from 12:30 -2:00 includes addresses by the mayors of Minneapolis and St Paul, and a speech by Dr. Andrew Stoddard, Environmental Scientist - "30 Years After: A Retrospective Evaluation of the Impact of the Clean Water Act on National and Local Water Quality Trends." this is followed by Riverside Water Monitoring Demonstrations, and a River Boat Ride with Speakers.
The event is free and open to the public. Space on the boat is limited
- please RSVP to the USGS at 763/783-3101 to reserve a spot. More information and directions to the event will be posted in the near future at http://www.vsmp.org.

STAKEHOLDER NETWORK MOVES BALMM DOCUMENTS ON WEB SITE:
BALMM material has been moved to the following location in the new Watershed Programs section of the web site maintained by the Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholder Network. The new location is:
http://www.umbsn.org/news/balmm_updates.shtml

For more information on the web site, contact John Gabbert at
jgabbert@smumn.edu, or call 507-457-6603

BALMM DOCUMENTS POSTED ON MPCA WEB SITE: The BALMM Basin Plan Scoping Document and 4-page flyer can be viewed at the following MPCA web site:
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/basins/index.html

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." - Anon.

Send comments and items for future editions to:
balmm currents editor: Norman Senjem, MPCA
Phone: 507/280-3592
Fax: 507/280-5513
norman.senjem@pca.state.mn.us