Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) has a mission to “champion, promote, and provide information on technologies and sustainable agricultural systems that conserve and enhance soil, water, air and wildlife recourses and [that] are productive and profitable.”

PROJECT DIRECTOR CHAD WATTS

Chad Watts is a Project Director with CTIC. Chad graduated from Purdue Universities Ag School with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources and Environmental Science. After graduation, he spent six years working with Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources before joining Indiana’s Nature Conservancy, where he stayed for twelve years. In May 2012, he became part of the Conservation Technology Information Center.

CONSERVATION TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION CENTER

“CTIC concentrates on conservation agriculture, working with farmers, working with universities, working with agriculture companies and the ag industry partners to promote technologies and practices and conservation systems that will benefit soil and water quality.” 

In 1982, CTIC started as an offshoot of National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) as a way to incorporate the ag industry into soil and water conservation with a better tie between the two. The ag industry had many products that can improve conservation and the efficiency of farming. Tying the two together also brought funding the public companies have to use on different initiatives. Each county in Indiana has a conservation district that is a sub-set of the county government. The districts work with local USDA representatives to deliver conservation programs from the US Farm Bill and other local programs.

“A lot of good stuff gets done with researchers, a lot of good stuff gets done and developed in these public companies, but if that good stuff doesn’t get out to the farmers who can put those practices on the ground, it’s of little value in terms of helping us be better stewards of the land.”

A great example of the need for conservation efforts is right in the Tippecanoe River. The Tippecanoe River is one of the premier streams for fresh water mussels. It has threatened, rare, and endangered species of mussels living in the river. So many things threaten mussels that do not originate from the river. All the lands that drain into the river are a source of concern, from sediment to the chemicals that are put on the land.

MUSSELS INDICATE RIVER HEALTH

“Mussels are an indicator of water quality. They are the canary in the coal mine of the river.”

Mussels don’t move far or fast, so they cannot get away from sediments that pile on top of them, choking them off from their food supplies. They are filter feeders, filtering their nutrient from the water. They are out in the river twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and are at the mercy of what ever comes down the river.

Forty-nine of the fifty-seven historically reported mussels still live in the Tippecanoe River. That level of species retention is almost unprecedented, especially in agricultural rivers like the Tippecanoe. The Tippecanoe River bio-diversity is extremely high because of the quality of the water and the stability of the streambed.

Some of the forty-nine remaining species are listed as endangered species. The Clubshell mussel is a federally endangered species that only live in the best remaining places in the world. They can be found in the northern part of the Tippecanoe River and, until recently when another population was found in Pennsylvania, this was the strongest and most significant population of Clubshell Mussels in the world.

Another federally endangered species is the Northern Riffleshell. There was a population found by Lake Freeman. The river holds some state endangered and other common species as well.

Mussels are not just an endangered species; they are also an important part of the food chain. Otters and muskrats eat fresh water mussels.

CURRENT PROJECTS

Chad is working on a few projects, the biggest of which is the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia issue. He is working with farmers in Central Illinois. The nutrients from farmland in the Midwest and points north along the Mississippi River are making their was down to the Gulf of Mexico. This causes big algae blooms, and when the algae die, it takes up a lot the oxygen in the Gulf, which is detrimental to the fish and other aquatic populations there. The project involves educating farmers about best practices concerning use of nitrogen and other nutrients to feed their crops in an effort to protect the water quality of the watershed in that area. The watershed is also a source of drinking water for some towns down the line. These practices include utilization of cover crops, which is the second project.

The Cover Crop project helps educate farmers about the benefits of using cover crops during the time between the times of harvest in the fall and planting in the spring. During the winter, these crops can utilize the excess nitrogen and other nutrients in the soil. These crops are not usually harvested, but left to decompose and enrich the soil for the spring. In some cases, the cover crops are used for livestock grazing, leaving the root system to enrich the soil. This practice allows the farmer to use fewer chemicals to feed their cash crops.

A new project involves the supply chain from the farmer to the market, and all the pieces along the way. The issue is to become more sustainable and efficient as farmers. A group called Field to Market has a tool that helps farmer assess their carbon footprint and conservation status.

“We need to look as sustainability as a journey, rather than a destination.”

Chad also works with the National Conservation Tillage Survey, which assesses what kind of tillage system farmers are using.

IMPROVING THE SOIL

There are certain things we can do to help improve the soil so it can better withstand weather extremes like what happened this spring. Excessive rains drowned many areas out. With excessive tillage, the ground is disturbed and can become compacted. Excessive pest control destroys the good bugs and things like earthworms that help open up the ground. Cover Crops, no-till, and other conservation practices improve soil quality and give more resilience to weather extremes. Much of the farm grounds in the area are old wetlands, so the ground is used to holding water. Installing drainage tile and improving the soil quality will help alleviate some of the loss. However, there are limitations to these best practices and excessive weather events will still cause issues.

“We are thinking about our soil as a living system.”

GETTING INVOLVED

The public can help many ways. Get involved in the local soil and water district. There are steering committees that local concerned citizens can join. Those who are managing land, like farmers, can access the resources on the CTIC website, their offices, and their staff. There is a wealth of information available.

NOT JUST FOR FARMERS

Small gardeners can also find information on best practices to help their soils, including lawns. Nitrogen and pesticides are used in large amounts as well, and the run off flows directly into the storm drains that empty directly into the river. Other things to think about are not draining oil into the gutters and managing septic system and seepage areas.

More information can be found at www.ctic.org.