Leanna Thalmann of Chazy, NY, earned nationally-recognized First Place honors for her poster presentation of the water quality research funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) at the joint annual meeting of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America in November 2019 in San Antonio, TX.

Thalmann, a University of Vermont soil science graduate student, has been involved with data collection and analysis as part of the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute team conducting the NNYADP-funded water quality research. This work plays a role in building the data-driven science needed to accurately guide water quality conservation.

The NNYADP water quality project results to-date have been requested for presentation by the Lake Champlain Basin Program and other groups in New York and Vermont, the Southeast Extension and Research Activity Information Exchange, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and interested groups in Canada.

Thalmann has been collecting data continuously since September 2018, measuring the amount of surface runoff and tile drainage from on-farm fields and trial sites, and analyzing water samples for phosphorus and nitrogen content. This data allows for a better understanding of how farming practices, extreme weather, and landscape interact to impact the fields’ nutrient budgets and local water quality.

Thalmann, who is working toward her Master’s Degree in Plant and Soil Science, was selected for First Place from among 20 students making presentations in the Soil and Water Management and Conservation division at the international conference.

Miner Institute Nutrient Management Researcher Laura Klaiber serves as the NNYADP water quality project leader. Year-to-year results of the project are posted online.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Photo of Leanna Thalmann collecting water samples at a farm in Northeastern NY by Casey Corrigan.