Latest Agriculture Breakfast Explores ‘Water Problems’
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
The annual Agriculture Breakfast, hosted by The Watershed Foundation (TWF) in partnership with the Kosciusko and Whitley County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation (WACF), returned on February 19th, 2026.
Water Problems: In the Field and Beyond was the topic that brought farmers, landowners, conservationists, and other individuals together on Thursday morning.
Nearly 95 locals listened in on presentations from Dr. Jerry Sweeten, Ecosystems Connections, and Kris Green, a licensed Indiana soil scientist and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) district conservationist.
Mariah Roberts, TWF watershed manager, commenced the event, “I am excited to bring this topic to our community today,” she said, ” we know that there are problems with water on a global scale, but those of us who own property and work on the land face water problems on an annual basis.”
Dr. Jerry Sweeten
Ecological Restoration: Founded on Science, Rooted in Collaboration
Dr. Sweeten opened the program with a presentation on large-scale water movement and the consequences of interfering with those natural systems. He said, “When you make large changes, one thing I guarantee: nature will respond. No matter what, there will be a response.”
Before European colonization, he noted, the area that is now the state of Indiana housed 20 million acres of forest land. Today, industrial, residential, and agricultural use has reduced that number to less than 5 million acres. The dramatic modifications have altered the drainage patterns of the land.
Jerry acknowledged that the majority of land use in the area is agricultural. He highlighted the importance of understanding how these practices affect water and aquatic ecosystems.
Low-head dams: Restoring natural systems
Amongst these ecosystem-altering land-use practices, low-head dams are one that not only disrupt aquatic ecosystems, but also pose a threat to humans. The currents created by the structures create a drowning risk for humans. Dr. Sweeten described how the dams also prevent fish and other aquatic organisms from moving upstream, cutting off vital migration and limiting biodiversity upstream.
As these dams have been removed, nature has responded. Ecosystems of aquatic life have been restored, and freshwater species have been found in portions of Indiana waterways where they haven’t been seen since the dams were installed.
Nature has responded to other ecosystem changes, too. Jerry explained that the number one contributor of non-point source pollution in waterways is suspended sediment. This sediment is often made up of soil particles and holds on to nutrients, too. Phosphorus is a nutrient that creates a particularly strong bond to negatively charged soil particles.
He continued, explaining that a very small amount of phosphorus can cause big problems in waterways—all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.
Again, when changes in the landscape happen, nature responds.
One pound of phosphorus causes the growth of up to 10,000 pounds of aquatic plants and algae. When these plants die, bacteria in the water get busy decomposing, consuming much of the oxygen in the process. The result is oxygen deprivation, termed hypoxia, an environment where only anaerobic bacteria can survive. Paired with lake mixing, or ‘turn-over,’ an endless cycle continually resuspends nutrients and sediment.
Kris Green
Understanding Soil Structure
“One of the ways to address these water problems is to get water to infilrate” explained Mariah, as she introduced the next guest speaker, Kris Green. “This helps the soil be more resilient to long periods of dry weather and helps crops and lawns grow.”
Green’s presentation explored how soil aggregates—small clumps of soil held together by organic matter, microorganisms, and glomalin (natural binding agents)—form healthy soil structure. He explained that stable aggregates create pore spaces that allow water to move through the soil, improving infiltration, recharging drainage systems and aquifers, and storing moisture for plant roots. “Tillage, however, breaks down aggregates and leads to a platy structure,” Green mentioned as he held up a clod of soil.
A tabletop demonstration compared how different soils respond to rainfall.
In tilled soil, Green noted, broken-down soil aggregates created a compacted, crusted surface that limited infiltration. Water moved across the surface instead of soaking in, carrying topsoil with it.
In contrast, no-till soils allowed water to filter downward through root channels and pore spaces, reducing runoff and erosion.
Green also conducted a slake test, submerging soil samples to observe how they held together in water.
Tilled soil quickly broke apart due to poor structure and limited pore space. Meanwhile, no-till, cover-cropped, and long-term pasture soils remained intact, demonstrating strong aggregate stability.
The test highlighted how well-structured soils can better absorb rainfall and resist erosion, Kris’s presentation and demonstration reinforcing the benefits of reduced tillage and soil-building practices. He emphasized that aggregates are the building blocks of soil structure, which is the overall arrangement of soil particles.
Conservation Meets Community
The program concluded with roundtable discussions led by local Envirothon students, allowing participants to share their experiences with water problems and the strategies they’ve used on their farms.
Information was also provided on technical assistance and cost-share programs available through The Watershed Foundation and local partners.
“Bringing together community members to solve real-world problems and implement solutions is the core of The Watershed Foundation,” said Roberts.
“We unite partners, engage the community, and implement solutions where the boots meet the ground. Partnerships with farmers and agricultural landowners are very important as we work together to feed a hungry world while maintaining and improving water quality in our community and beyond,” she added
Special thank you to our sponsors who made this event free for attendees: Beacon Credit Union, First Federal Savings Bank, Ferguson Farms, Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Kosciusko County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD), Maple Leaf Farms, Schlipf Precision Ag, SWCA Environmental Consultants, The Rooted Spud, and Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation (WACF).
And thanks to all who attended—we look forward to seeing you next year!
For more information about TWF’s events and programs, contact our office, and visit our Conservation Agriculture page to learn how local farmers and agriculture landowners are keeping the land green and our lakes clean.
