Can Modified Blind Inlets at Terrace Sites Reduce N and P Loads?

A free virtual field day on Jan. 19 will feature the installation of a new blind inlet on a farm in Scott County, Iowa, that will be used for analysis for the next two years. The event is sponsored in part by Iowa Learning Farms and will be held at 1 p.m. Central time.

A live discussion will be held about an innovative project led by IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering’s Matthew Streeter, assistant research scientist, and Keith Schilling, research engineer; and collaborators Mike Paustian, Scott County farmer, and Andy Craig, conservation engineering lead at Ecosystem Services Exchange, providing technical services for Agri Drain Corp.

Participants will have the opportunity for a discussion with the farmer and researchers. A second project site has also been established for data collection on Tom Adam’s farm near Keota and will be discussed during the same event.

Modified blind inlet installation.In addition to Iowa Learning Farms, the event is offered in partnership with the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, and Conservation Learning Group.

Currently, blind inlets are listed in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy as an erosion control practice that reduces phosphorus (P) loss. Blind inlets have been shown to reduce sediment and phosphorus losses by 80-98%. However, gravel filter blind inlets are not effective for trapping dissolved nutrients like nitrate. This project, funded by the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, builds on a pilot project completed for the Iowa NRCS that looked at the effectiveness of incorporating a woodchip bioreactor into a traditional in-field blind inlet placed behind contour terraces and WASCOBs to reduce nitrate loss as well.

The field day will be recorded and archived on the learning farms website so that it can be watched at any time.

To participate, at 1 p.m. Central time, click this URL: https://iastate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUpduihpj8iE9ZHcjpsenc2DWQILG41wg0D. Or visit https://www.iowalearningfarms.org/events-1 and click “Join Live Virtual Field Day”.

Or, join from a dial-in phone line; dial +1 646 876 9923 or +1 301 715 8592, meeting ID 945 3331 7620.

Participants may be eligible for a Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit. Information about how to apply to receive the CEU (if approved) will be provided at the end of the live field day.