Earlier papers provided an overview of the use of monitoring and environmental data from ~70 small headwater watersheds to characterize key factors contributing to watershed-scale agrochemical runoff potential and detailed the multivariate analyses and visualization approaches used. This paper describes how these monitored watersheds have also been characterized on a field-by-field basis in terms of agricultural stewardship practices. Careful interpretation of high resolution photographic imagery (occasionally enhanced by techniques such as LiDAR) allowed field-by-field categorization of the presence of various agricultural stewardship practices and BMP's. We identified a critical subset of structural stewardship practices including terracing categories, filter strips, and grassed waterways. The occurrence of these permanent landscape changes was used to modify field-by-field estimates of potential runoff vulnerability based on spatial/environmental factors. Preliminary evaluation of this approach suggests runoff vulnerability models based solely on environmental factors may be misleading since effective farmer stewardship may outweigh intrinsic vulnerability estimates.

Watershed characterization: Approaches to characterizing agricultural stewardship practices and best management related structural features in small headwater Midwest watersheds and an assessment of their potential significance in determining the potential for agrochemical runoff

244th National Meeting (2012)

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