The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place May 6, at noon CDT will feature Ehsan Ghane, associate professor and extension specialist, Michigan State University. Ghane performs research and extension in the areas of water quality and agricultural water management to reduce phosphorus loss from subsurface-drained lands. Current work includes conservation drainage practices including controlled drainage and saturated buffers. He is also developing decision-support tools to aid in the design and evaluation of controlled drainage and saturated buffers.

In the webinar, “Saturated Buffers: Proven Practice with New Surprises,” Ghane will share insights gained from real world installations of saturated buffers. He will discuss how saturated buffers reduce nitrate loss and will cite recent findings that show some unexpected complexities in functional processes and outcomes. Ghane will correlate some of these surprising findings from real fields with emerging best practices for design, management, and water quality outcomes.

“We’ve learned much from field deployments of saturated buffers that may change how people think about them,” said Ghane. “Participants in this webinar will benefit from our research and will gain a clearer understanding of when saturated buffers work best and what factors influence their real world performance.”

Participants are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters. People from all backgrounds and areas of interest are encouraged to join.