The UW-Madison Division of Extension’s Agriculture Water Quality Program hosted a biweekly webinar
series in early 2024 on important factors impacting ground and surface water quality. These
webinars are now available to watch at the viewer’s convenience. Each webinar is an hour long and
available at https://agwater.extension.wisc.edu/webinars/. More information can be obtained by
contacting Daniel Zerr, Extension Regional Natural Resources Educator, at 715- 530-2269, or
daniel.zerr@wisc.edu.
Below is a summary of each of the four webinars. Optimizing Nitrogen Use and Reducing Nitrate
Leaching
How do we optimize the use of commercial nitrogen and reduce nitrate leaching? Learn about how
agronomic results and water quality impacts connect with lessons from an on-farm trial from the
Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program (NOPP) from 2023. Guolong Liang and Monica Shauer, research
director for NOPP, discuss the importance of nitrogen optimization and the strategies to reduce
nitrate leaching.

Wisconsin’s Unique Karst Landscapes and the Impacts on Water Quality

Dr. Maureen Muldoon and Laura Paletta share how Wisconsin’s unique karst landscapes and Silurian
bedrock impact the ground beneath our feet and groundwater resources. They provide information on
best management practices to utilize in these areas to lessen soil and nutrient loss impacts.

Soil Health Practices Impact on Phosphorus Pools and Availability

Chelsea Zegler and Dr. Jamie Patton continue their conversation from last year on how soil test
phosphorus (STP) impacts water quality. Learn how different cover crops and soil health practices
change water dynamics, the location and the availability of phosphorus in different soil types.

Grazing and Water Quality: Lessons Learned From Edge-Of-Field Research

How do grazing methods affect runoff water quality? Eric Young, USDA-ARS Research Soil Scientist,
and Kelsey Hyland discuss lessons learned from edge-of-field grazing research and strategies to
maximize water quality benefit in these systems.