WARSAW — The Shatto Ditch project in Kosciusko County is being watched world wide and the results may help the influx of nitrates in Lake Erie and the Gulf of Mexico which has caused toxic algae blooms.

Dr. Jennifer Tank, Galla professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, presented findings of a three-year study of the Shatto Ditch watershed, during the annual Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation District meeting Tuesday evening, Feb. 16. The result: cover crops may be the way to go.

“Cover crops implementation reduce nutrient loss,” said Tank, “and keeps fertilizer on the fields.” She added the results suggest cover crops could meet current 40 percent reduction goals” in areas such as Lake Erie and the Gulf of Mexico.

Tank explained the project, which was a partnership between the Kosciusko County Soil Water Conservation District, The Nature Conservancy and Notre Dame University with additional support from Arrow Head Country RC &D. The purpose: testing nutrient loss in the real world.

In 2012-2013 3,300 acres with 85 percent row crops and 320 acres in croppable acres were tested. This pre-treated area, with a two-stage ditch, the nitrogen workload, 10 kilogram loss per kilometer per day, over 700 pounds, 35,000 per kilogram leaving the watershed. The two-stage was doing 10 percent of the work in the watershed. “While the two-stage was doing good work, we needed to address how to prevent nitrogen from ever getting in the system in the first place, balance out the work of the two stage at the bottom.”

The watershed itself is unique, according to Tank, the farm land was primarily in no till and there were variable soil types with little to no added phosphorous.

During the first year 1,610 acres were planted in cover crops. It was the choice of participating farmers which cover crop was chosen. The majority chose annual rye grass. Water sampling took place for 14 days, tile drain outlets were checked at 10 sites.

“The first surprise,” said Tank was the first year of data. “There was water quality benefit.” Nitrate loss was high, but “not as high as before the cover crops … cover crops reduced nitrite export from fields, especially in the spring.” The study further showed in the spring of 2014-2015 the nutrient loss was lower. “Those are darn exciting results,” Tank stated adding the results were a 44 percent to 55 percent less loss, a 50 percent decline.

Findings also found there was less water coming off the fields. The study included a period of high water flow due to spring rains.

“Cover crops reduced the annual watershed nutrient export,” Tank said. It was a 12 percent less the first year, 6 percent less water and 43 percent less nitrate the second year, and 29 percent less nitrate leaving the watershed the final year. “Ten to 23,000 pounds of nitrites were retained in the fields. This is a 6-9 pound savings per cover crop acre planted.”

A further study of economic benefits will be done by economist at Iowa State University.

The $368,000 grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, used for the project, ended in 2015. The project is continuing. The next phase of the study will answer the question: Will this work any where else?”

Tank, with an additional USDA grant, will take the study to a new watershed in Jasper County, where different variables are found including different soil types. However there will be the same paired approach — two stage ditch landscape practice and winter cover crops.

Tank did announce the county has its own weather station in the Shatto Ditch watershed. She encouraged those attending to check the information provided by the weather station online through two sites or to contact Matt Trentman, [email protected] to have the link sent.