The LTAR Common Experiment: Facilitating improved agricultural sustainability through coordinated cross-site research

Mark A Liebig¹, Lori J Abendroth², G Philip Robertson³, David Augustine⁴, Elizabeth H Boughton⁵, Gwendolynn Bagley⁶, Dennis L Busch⁷, Pat Clark⁸, Alisa W Coffin⁹, Brent J Dalzell¹⁰, Curtis J Dell¹¹, Ann-Marie Fortuna¹², Ariel Freidenreich¹³, Philip Heilman¹⁴, Christina Helseth¹⁵, David R Huggins¹⁶, Jane M F Johnson¹⁵, Makki Khorchani¹⁷, Kevin King¹⁸, John L Kovar¹⁹, Martin A Locke²⁰, Steven B Mirsky⁶, Merilynn C Schantz²¹, Marty R Schmer¹³, Maria L Silveira²², Douglas R Smith²¹, Kathy J Soder¹¹, Sheri Spiegal²³, Jedediah Stinner¹⁸, David Toledo¹, Mark Williams²⁴, Jenifer Yost²¹

Affiliations

¹ USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, Mandan, North Dakota, USA.
² USDA-ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
³ Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences and W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, Michigan, USA.
⁴ USDA-ARS Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Unit, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA.
⁵ Archbold Biological Station, Venus, Florida, USA.
⁶ USDA-ARS Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland, USA.
⁷ School of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, Wisconsin, USA.
⁸ USDA-ARS Northwest Watershed Research Center, Boise, Idaho, USA.
⁹ USDA-ARS Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory, Tifton, Georgia, USA.
¹⁰ USDA-ARS Soil and Water Management Research Unit, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
¹¹ USDA-ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
¹² USDA-ARS Agroclimate and Hydraulics Research Unit, El Reno, Oklahoma, USA.
¹³ USDA-ARS Agroecosystem Management Research Unit, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
¹⁴ USDA-ARS Southwest Watershed Research Center, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
¹⁵ USDA-ARS North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory, Morris, Minnesota, USA.
¹⁶ USDA-ARS Northwest Sustainable Agroecosystems Research Unit, Pullman, Washington, USA.
¹⁷ School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
¹⁸ USDA-ARS Soil Drainage Research Unit in Columbus, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
¹⁹ USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, Ames, Iowa, USA.
²⁰ USDA-ARS National Sedimentation Laboratory, Oxford, Mississippi, USA.
²¹ USDA-ARS Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, Texas, USA.
²² University of Florida, Range Cattle Research and Education Center, Ona, Florida, USA.
²³ USDA-ARS Range Management Research Unit, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA.
²⁴ USDA-ARS National Erosion Research Laboratory, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.

PMID: 39406692
DOI: 10.1002/jeq2.20636

Review

The LTAR Common Experiment: Facilitating improved agricultural sustainability through coordinated cross-site research

Mark A Liebig et al. J Environ Qual. 2024 Nov-Dec.

. 2024 Nov-Dec;53(6):787-801.

doi: 10.1002/jeq2.20636. Epub 2024 Oct 15.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, Mandan, North Dakota, USA.
² USDA-ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
³ Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences and W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, Michigan, USA.
⁴ USDA-ARS Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Unit, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA.
⁵ Archbold Biological Station, Venus, Florida, USA.
⁶ USDA-ARS Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland, USA.
⁷ School of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, Wisconsin, USA.
⁸ USDA-ARS Northwest Watershed Research Center, Boise, Idaho, USA.
⁹ USDA-ARS Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory, Tifton, Georgia, USA.
¹⁰ USDA-ARS Soil and Water Management Research Unit, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
¹¹ USDA-ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
¹² USDA-ARS Agroclimate and Hydraulics Research Unit, El Reno, Oklahoma, USA.
¹³ USDA-ARS Agroecosystem Management Research Unit, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
¹⁴ USDA-ARS Southwest Watershed Research Center, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
¹⁵ USDA-ARS North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory, Morris, Minnesota, USA.
¹⁶ USDA-ARS Northwest Sustainable Agroecosystems Research Unit, Pullman, Washington, USA.
¹⁷ School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
¹⁸ USDA-ARS Soil Drainage Research Unit in Columbus, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
¹⁹ USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, Ames, Iowa, USA.
²⁰ USDA-ARS National Sedimentation Laboratory, Oxford, Mississippi, USA.
²¹ USDA-ARS Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, Texas, USA.
²² University of Florida, Range Cattle Research and Education Center, Ona, Florida, USA.
²³ USDA-ARS Range Management Research Unit, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA.
²⁴ USDA-ARS National Erosion Research Laboratory, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.

PMID: 39406692
DOI: 10.1002/jeq2.20636

Abstract

Long-term research is essential for guiding the development of agroecosystems to meet escalating production demands in a manner that is environmentally sound and socially acceptable. Research must integrate biophysical and socioeconomic factors to provide geographically scalable knowledge that involves stakeholders across the research-education-extension-policy spectrum. In response to this need, the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network developed a "Common Experiment," which seeks to develop and disseminate multi-region, science-based information to enable implementation of visionary agricultural innovations while simultaneously promoting food security, well-being, environmental quality, and climate adaptation and mitigation. The core design of the Common Experiment contrasts prevailing and alternative/aspirational production systems, with the latter including novel innovations hypothesized to advance sustainable intensification in locally appropriate ways. Treatments in the Common Experiment represent a diversity of production systems under cropland, grazing land, and integrated crop/grazing land management. Where possible, treatments are evaluated at multiple spatial scales (e.g., from plot to enterprise) and are designed to evolve over the course of the experiment with stakeholder input. A common assessment framework guides data collection for the experiment and is complemented by metric-specific protocols and an emerging data management infrastructure. Currently, there are large differences among sites in the application of the experimental framework and degree of stakeholder engagement; differences largely grounded in pragmatic issues related to land access, site expertise, and resource availability. The full potential of the LTAR Common Experiment may be realized with strategic investments in network capacity.

© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Environmental Quality published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.

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References

REFERENCES

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The LTAR Common Experiment: Facilitating improved agricultural sustainability through coordinated cross-site research

Affiliations

The LTAR Common Experiment: Facilitating improved agricultural sustainability through coordinated cross-site research

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

References

REFERENCES

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources