"Starting the Harmful Algal Bloom Food Chain: Down on the Farm" - presented at the Ohio Clean Water Conference 2011 by Dr. Julie Weatherington-Rice

1. Starting the Harmful Algal
Bloom Food Chain:
Down on the Farm
Julie Weatherington-Rice, PhD,
Adj. Asst. Prof. OSU Dept. Food, Agricultural,
& Biological Engineering
Sr. Scientist Bennett & Williams
Co-coordinator OFFWG (OAS)
Presented on behalf of the
Ohio Fracture Flow Working Group
(Ohio Academy of Science)

2. 4 Conditions must be Present
Cyanobacteria (here from the dawn
of time ~ 3.5 billion years)
Hard Rains
Hot Spring & Summer
Temperatures
Photo by Jeff Reutter
OSU Stone Lab Pier Food (Phosphorus &
August 11, 2010
Nitrogen Necessary)*
* Only Variables We Can Control

3. Cyanobacteria is Amazing Stuff
• Can be used to make bioplastics, ethanol,
biodeisel
• Photosynthesis 10X more efficient than
corn
• Makes hydrogen gas 1/7 the cost of
splitting water
• Responsible for nitrogen fertilizer in rice
paddies all over the world
• Some varieties up to 60% protein, could
be important food source

4. Cyanobacteria is Amazing Stuff
• Antifungal, antialgal, antiviral,anti-HIV activity,
antibacterial, antioxidants & co-enzymes
• Many applications in medicine including
cancer research & treatment
• Effective in wastewater bioremediation (that’s
what it is doing in our lakes)
• R.M.M. Abed et al., Journal of Applied
Microbiology 106 (2009) 1-12 “Applications of
cyanobacteria in biotechnology”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19191979

5. How Have Farming Practices
Changed Since the 1980’s to
Liberate More DRP?

6. To help protect y our priv acy , PowerPoint prev ented this external picture from being automatically downloaded. To download and display this picture, click Options in the Message Bar, and then click Enable external content.
Recent Changes in Agriculture
• Larger farms, larger fields and larger
equipment
• Larger equipment has multiple functions,
potential changes in the timing of fertilizer
applications, more broadcast applications
• Larger, heavier equipment may be leading
to soil compaction
• Changes in crop rotation resulting in
changes to fertilizer application
• Changes in fertilizer formulations
Timing, amount & incorporation of
fertilizers are key

7. Recent Changes in Agriculture
• Conservation Tillage does
not invert the plow layer
• Most fertilizer is now
surface applied
• Animal manure
management has gone
from solid pack to liquid
management
• These practices have
caused a build-up of
phosphorus in the top 2”
of the soil profile

8. Recent Changes in Agriculture
• Increased tile drainage
systems – decreased tile
spacing
• Surface drainage ditches
in between tile lines
• Increased connections
between the surface & tile
drainage systems
(macropores)
• Multiple tilesheds per
field in NW Ohio, very
short TOC for tileshed
discharge – tile water
comes out with surface
water

9. Recent Changes in Agriculture
• Nutrients are stratifying, 2 to 10 times as much in
the top 2” of the soil profile
• Over one million Ohio soil tests reviewed (8”
profile), about 30% over 40 ppm Phosphorus
(agronomic recommended level)
• Animal manures are being applied at higher
levels as waste disposal, up to 150 ppm
• Recent research indicates that stratified P over 40
ppm can go mobile during high intensity rain
storm events, creating DRP discharges to both
surface & tile waters

10. Reducing DRP & N 1 field/farm at a time
• Farmers & farm management
are the key, ~90% of DRP in NW
Ohio from agriculture
• Rural – Urban land use mix will
vary over the state in each
watershed
Map 9/10/10
• Not just a NW Ohio problem any
more. 20 state parks &
reservoirs were closed all over
the state last summer
• 2011 cyanobacteria spottings
began at Grand Lake St. Marys,
Buckeye Lake and Blue Rock
State Park, all mid-state
locations

11. Cyanobacteria now in western Lake Erie
• Arrived in the western basin July
22/23, 2011 when the water temps
rose to ~ 80 degrees F
Photos: North Cape Yacht Club & West Sister/Turtle Islands

12. Farmers, What Can You Do To Help?
• Check fields for stratified P in top 2”
• Only apply P if you really need it, only to
agronomic levels (40 ppm)
• Consider change in crop rotation to C-SB-
C-SB-W, applying P by injection or as side
dressing in the soil with ridge-till corn
rotation only

13. Farmers, What Can You Do To Help?
• Consider cover
crops to “use up”
excess P & reduce
surface runoff
during winter
months
Dave Brandt, Fairfield County, uses either a
12-grain mix drilled into wheat stubble or an
alternating row method of radishes and
Austrian winter peas, video at
http://vimeo.com/26785606

14. Farmers, What Can You Do To Help?
• Check tile systems for blowouts & surface
water inlets
• Check grassed waterways & buffer strips
for healthy vegetation, consider forested
buffer strip along streams/ditches to
increase infiltration & reduce water
temperature – remember HABs need warm
water to thrive
• If P stratification is severe, consider 1 time
fall moldboard plow & disk w/ a good
cover crop to flip stratification

15. Farmers, What Can You Do To Help?
• Liquid manure system? Consider
package WWTP or composting
(OARDC, Wooster)
• Installing new system? Consider
dry/composted system to begin with
Outside system -
Dairy at OARDC
Wooster

16. Farmers, What Can You Do To Help?
• Follow BMPs to the letter for
applications
• Restore wetlands in fields and at
edges of fields (wetlands reserve)
• Tile drains? Consider better
surface/subsurface water
management

17. Farmers, What Can You Do To Help?
• Upgrading surface/subsurface water
management
• Install wetland/subsurface irrigation
systems
• Install tile bioreactors
• Route all between tile line surface
drainage ditches into tile drop boxes in
front of tile bioreactors

18. What is a Bioreactor?
Originally promoted by Iowa Soybean
Assoc. for nitrate removal
(http://www.iasoybeans.com/environment/programs
-initiatives/programs/bioreactors)

19. Tile Bioreactor Installation
Video at
http://www.iasoybeans.com/environment/programs-
initiatives/programs/bioreactors/demonstration

20. OSU FABE Team Effort
• Led by Larry Brown, USDA ARS & OSU
Microbiology team members
• Awarded USDA Conservation Innovation Grant to
design & test bioreactors in Ohio for Ohio NRCS
cost-share
• Spring 2010 ARS data show 65-75% DRP coming
from tile drains
• Iowa design shows 50-70% nitrate reduction, no
testing for P
• Bench scale research shows iron (foundry sands)
pre-treatment also removes DRP & increases
nitrate reduction ~100%

21. OSU FABE Team Effort
• Building three Fall 2011 in central Ohio
with CIG grant (Waterman Farm, Farm
Science Review, one other)
• Partnered with Western Lake Erie
Association (Lake Erie Waterkeepers) for
“Healing Our Waters” mini-grant ($15,000)
to install two in Lucas County Fall 2011.
• Cooperating with Lucas SWCD
• Before & after treatment storm samples
collected locally, run in ARS lab in Columbus
• Field Day & Workshop planned for Summer
2012 Maumee Bay State Park to share results

22. 5 Down, ~50,000? to go
• Tile Bioreactors WILL work, proven
technology in the field for nitrates but P
pretreatment new for field application
(proven in lab)
• NRCS willing to offer Cost-share based on
final OSU design but farmers need to see
them work
• Plans to install demonstration clusters of
these all over Ohio; host field days and
workshops

23. Can We Partner with Your Group?
• OSU is looking for local Watershed
Groups & SWCDs to act as local hosts
• Can install one tile bioreactor and monitor
for one year for less than $10,000 (actual
cost depends on size of tileshed being
treated)
• Help us get the word out
• We will provide full support:
• Help write grants
• Design & oversee construction
• Run water samples in the ARS lab
• Help organize and lead workshops and field
days

24. Help Us Help You to Turn Ohio’s
Lakes & Streams
From This

25. Back to This
Help Us
Restore ALL
Ohio’s Lakes

26. Contact Information
OSU Tile Bioreactor Team
Larry Brown, FABE
brown.59@osu.edu
Norm Fausey, USDA ARS
fausey.1@osu.edu
Julie Weatherington-Rice, OFFWG
weatherington-ri.1@osu.edu
Lake Erie Association/Waterkeeper
www.westernlakeerie.org,
Sandy Bihn, 419-691-3788,
sandylakeerie@aol.com
http://www.epa.ohio.gov/dsw/lakeerie/
ptaskforce/index.aspx Keeping Ohio’s Water Clean
Ohio Fracture Flow Working Group