Last Revised 7/02/01

Agricultural Practices

Introduction

Agriculture is a dominant land use in the Cayuga Lake watershed. As reported in the Preliminary Watershed Characterization Report, approximately one-third of the direct drainage is in active agricultural production. Dairy farming is a major industry; about 57% of the agricultural lands in the watershed are dedicated to livestock and products, and 42% are in field crop production. The largest dairy farms are located in Cayuga County. As measured in sales, field crop production is concentrated in Seneca and Cayuga Counties.

Agriculture is an important economic and land use partner in the watershed. The highly valued open space and beautiful vistas in the watershed are a direct result of agriculture shaping the landscape. However, county census data reveal that a diminishing percentage of the work force is directly involved in agricultural production. This decrease reflects the dramatic trend away from the small farm and towards increased size and mechanization of farming operations. At the same time, increasing numbers of watershed residents are choosing to live outside of the more densely populated areas, resulting in rural residents who are unfamiliar with the realities of farming operations and less tolerant of inevitable odors or inconvenience.

The economic and technological trends promoting larger farming operations can increase the challenges associated with careful management of soil and water resources. Even the most environmentally conscious producers are faced with handling an excess of nitrogen and phosphorus; that is, more nutrients enter from feed, fertilizers and (for nitrogen) legume fixation than leave via milk, meat, or crops. The excess increases with the number of cows per acre.

The primary pollutants of concern in the Watershed are nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen), sediment, pathogens, organic material, and pesticides. As discussed in the Preliminary Watershed Characterization, and the Chapter II, these substances may originate from many sources including residential lands and urban stormwater. Nutrients, sediment, pathogens, organic material, and pesticides can migrate from agricultural lands to surface and ground water through processes including surface runoff, erosion, infiltration, and aerial drift.

Monitoring data confirm that agricultural pollutants reach the surface waters (both the tributary streams and the lake) and groundwater of the Watershed. Phosphorus and sediment can degrade the quality of surface water resources. Nitrate-nitrogen, due to its high solubility, is a contaminant of special concern in groundwater. Monitoring data confirm the loss of pesticides to streams and their presence in lake waters. Left unchecked, migration of nutrients, sediment, pathogens, organic material, and pesticides threatens the long-term health of the lake and watershed.

Goals

• Maintain viability of agricultural land use in the Cayuga Lake Watershed.
• Minimize the negative impact of agriculture on the environment and reduce migration of pollutants to surface and groundwater.
• Increase public awareness of agricultural practices and environmental protection activities.

Existing Measures

Soil conservation and land stewardship are important values of the watershed’s agricultural community. A network of technical assistance and financial support for agriculture has been in place for decades. Agencies including County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Farm Services Agency, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and others actively promote measures to reduce the potential adverse impacts of agriculture on the environment. For the most part, producers have adopted measures that are protective of Cayuga Lake and the watershed. Many of these measures are voluntary, although state and federal regulation of farming practices has increased in recent years. Some important programs are listed below, with examples of how they are implemented in the watershed.

• Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM)
• The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
• New York State now requires livestock farms over a certain size (for dairies, more than 210 – 230 milk cows) to develop Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMP) that comply with standards developed by New York State and the NRCS. Once the plan has been created and approved, the State issues a permit to the farmer. New York has adopted this measure as part of its implementation of the federal Clean Water Act requirements for Animal Feeding Operations/Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. Tompkins County has received a grant of $120,000 from the Agricultural Nonpoint Source allocation of the NYS Environmental Protection Fund to develop CNMP on 26 farms in the Cayuga Lake watershed. Components of a CNMP include feed management, manure handling, land management, and record keeping. By 2008, all farms with livestock will be subject to these regulations regardless of herd size.
• New York State Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act has provided funding to implement agricultural BMPs. For example, Tompkins County has received approximately $190,00 to implement livestock grazing practices such as fencing, alternative watering systems, pasture improvements and stream crossings.
• Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District has recently purchased a no-till drill through a grant from the Great Lakes Commission in an effort to reduce erosion and sedimentation on watershed farms.

Recommendations

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CLW IO 2004