Project Number: 5445-21660-002-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Oct 01, 2008
End Date: Sep 30, 2013

Objective:
Objective 1: Determine the environmental and economic impacts of cover crop and cover crop mixtures in semiarid cropping systems. Objective 2: Develop dynamic cropping systems to help meet bio-energy production needs and increase economic returns while enhancing natural resource quality. Objective 3: Develop multiple enterprise systems that integrate crops and livestock to economically optimize the quality and quantity of agricultural products while maintaining or enhancing soil quality indicators. Objective 4: Develop and identify management principles common to integrated agricultural systems across production regions that reduce risks, improve competitiveness, and promote environmental stewardship. Objective 5: Understand the best ways new production technologies and management systems should be delivered so producers can more easily adopt them.

Approach:
Multiple methodologies will be used depending on the specific objectives because of the complexity of this integrated agricultural systems research project. Objective 1 will use a modified crop matrix where different cover crops are seeded into a common residue to evaluate the above- and below-ground impact of cover crops on subsequent crops. Objective 2 will use small plot techniques, crop rotation, economic analysis, and modeling techniques to develop economically feasible management strategies for biofuels and an Eddy Covariance System to measure CO2 flux as a surrogate for environmental impact of biomass crops. Integration of crops and livestock, Objective 3, will compare the performance of livestock when grazing annual crops in the fall to livestock performance when grazing perennial grasses in the fall. In the first 3 objectives, common data collected will include soil properties, biomass accumulation and soil water use. In addition, data on the impact of bio-char will be collected in Objective 2 and livestock production data will be collected in Objective 3. Economic analysis will be conducted as appropriate. The approaches for objectives 4 and 5 are not field based. Objective 4 will continue an existing roundtable that brings national and international leaders together to share ideas, concepts, and philosophies of integrated systems. Objective 5 will use a non-ARS collaborator to conduct surveys and coordinate with ARS to develop metrics that enhance the adoption of integrated agricultural technology by producers.