Rain, runoff put new farm practices to the test

By DAN BENSON

Ozaukee Press staff

Ozaukee County and the rest of southeast Wisconsin has endured some of the wettest months ever for this area this spring, putting farmers behind schedule and threatening to fill their manure pits.

If only there was a water collection system that could divert a quarter million gallons of clean water off a farmstead in one month.

Well, there is and Adam Melichar, owner of Melichar’s Broad Acres farm, has one.

He’s the first in the county to install a U-Drain Collection system that can collect water off his feed pad and divert it from his manure collection system.

About seven inches of rain fell on the Town of Fredonia in June, compared to a normal rainfall of about 4.5 inches.

Melichar’s collection system diverts about 38,000 gallons for every inch of rainfall. That means in June, 266,000 gallons didn’t flood his manure pit.

“When we’re at 100% capacity in our storage it doesn’t pay to irrigate because there’s so little nutrient value in the water. It’s just water, pretty much. And there aren’t a lot of options but to pump it out and haul it away. It has such little fertilizer value. “

  And when combined with soil health practices that include cover crops and vegetative buffers, that clean runoff is able to infiltrate the soil.

“That’s a lot of water,” said Ozaukee County Director of Land and Water Management Katie Vogeler, “This is where soil health practices in farmed fields, like no-till and cover crops, and grassed waterways, and buffer strips can further improve the land’s ability to infiltrate some of this rainwater and to help reduce erosion.”

Melichar follows those practices as a member of the Clean Farm Families organization board of directors.

Melichar’s collection system will be one of the featured stops in the “Soil Poker Run” on Tuesday, July 16, sponsored by Ozaukee County Clean Farm Families, the Farm Demonstration Network and the Ozaukee County Land and Water Management Office

“We’ve only had (the drain system) a year. It’s still pretty new and we’re still trying to figure it out. But it’s already helped us a lot,” Melichar said.

“There are other ways to do this, but this one is the most user friendly.”

The system allows Melichar to collect rainwater when the feed pad is in use, and divert the clean rainwater when it is not.

“This is rainwater they did not have to collect, store or land apply with manure. It  reduces manure pit volumes, and is a huge cost savings,” Vogeler said.

“I think it’s a significant practice because collecting clean rain water takes up valuable space in the manure pits and adds cost when it comes time to land apply,” she said. “If we can divert the clean water, it is a savings to the farmer.”

A U-drain is essentially a gutter system in the floor of the feed pad that can be opened and closed to collect or not collect rainwater when necessary.

If the feed pad is in use and collection is required, it then flows through the drain to a waste storage facility or manure pit.

If the feed pad is not being used, the U-drain is closed creating what’s called ca clean water bypass. The clean water can bypass the drain and follow the natural flow of the land.

Other feed pads have no way of diverting the clean water.

The farm soil health poker run will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, July 16, to showcase farming practices.

The run is a self-guided tour to four stops in Ozaukee County.

The different stops will showcase multi-species grazing and intensive rotational grazing, frost-seeded clover into winter wheat, Melichar’s U-drain collection system, and demonstration plots for conventional vs. no-till corn, soybeans and wheat.

The four stops are, in order:

• Red Line Dairy, 2513 Highway A.

• Dixie Road, 1/10th mile east of Dixie Court.

• 3990 Willow Lane.

• Clover crop demonstration plot on Highway 57 a half mile north of Hawthorne Road.

Participants can grab a playing card at each stop, earn a free lunch from the Koyote’s Food Truck at the final stop, and socialize with fellow farmers

Prizes will be awarded to the top three  poker hands.

For more information, contact Sarah Klempen at (414) 628-1092.