Healthy soils and clean water are essential to the long-term success of Wisconsin’s dairy industry, yet more data are needed to understand how different farming practices affect nutrient losses, soil erosion, and water quality. At Pioneer Farm, researchers are comparing grazing and cropping systems to evaluate their impacts on soil health and movement of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment into groundwater and surface waters. Expanding monitoring capacity was needed to strengthen these comparisons and provide more complete data across the farm’s research watersheds.

Through Dairy Innovation Hub funding, Pioneer Farm expanded its environmental monitoring network with additional equipment to measure water flow, nutrient losses, soil health, and subsurface water movement in a permanent pasture basin. The project strengthens ongoing research focused on protecting land and water resources while supporting farmer-led efforts to improve sustainability. Data collected through this equipment will support local farmers, Wisconsin dairy research, and broader national initiatives including the U.S. Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration Project and other long-term soil and water quality research networks.