Mallika Nocco, assistant professor and extension specialist in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, received USDA funding for her project From Integrated Sensing to Conservation Action: Deploying On-Farm Decision Support for Precision Irrigation and Nitrate Loss Reduction in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Nocco’s project is among 34 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) projects that received $65 million in funding.

Project summary: 

Wisconsin and Minnesota produce over $42 billion in agricultural products annually, relying on irrigation across 1.3 million acres to sustain crops on coarse,sandy soils. However, irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer can reduce water quantity and quality, making it increasingly important to equip growers with affordable, real-time tools that improve water and nutrient management while protecting drinking water and the region’s prized lakes, streams, and wetlands. Through on-farm research, technical support, incentives, and outreach, this project will work with 30 Wisconsin and Minnesota growers to evaluate affordable new sensors that measure crop water use, soil moisture, and soil nitrogen, and incorporate them into practical decision support tools. These technologies will help growers make better irrigation and fertilizer decisions, improving crop productivity, farm profitability, water and nitrogen use efficiency, and groundwater protection in the Great Lakes region.