Every couple of weeks, Grassland 2.0 folks get together on Zoom for an informal, project-wide lab meeting. Each meeting features a short presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session, and a group discussion of how the work presented relates to the project as a whole. Presenters have included grazing specialists, grass-fed industry and marketing professionals, and researchers from a wide variety of disciplines.
The latest episode of GrassCast, the Grassland 2.0 podcast, features a condensed recording from one of these lab meetings, featuring UW-Madison PhD student Jacob Henden. Jacob is a PhD student in the Nelson Institutes Environment and Resources program, with a background in entomology and an interest in landscape studies, conservation, water resources management, and sustainable agriculture.
In the podcast, Jacob describes his research on the relationship between perennial agriculture and water quality. The conversation delves into why studying aquatic insects can help monitor water quality, how tricky it can be to separate the effects of farming decisions from other related factors, and why making promises about improving water quality could backfire.
As for Jacob, he hopes his work can provide critical information to farmers, industry and policymakers on how agriculture decisions impact watersheds and water quality.
Listen to the full episode below: