Join us! KBS LTAR Field Day: Sustainable Cropping Systems for the Future
Print
EmailCurious about how MI rowcrop systems can be profitable and environmentally sustainable? Join us on September 15th for the first annual field day at the Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) site. Registration link below.
Can Michigan rowcrop agriculture be profitable and environmentally sustainable?
The newly funded Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) program at MSU’s Kellogg Biological Station is focused on identifying solutions to exactly this question.
Field crops, like corn and soybeans, make up a majority of Michigan’s agricultural production, but while these cropping systems are extremely productive, conventional management of these crops can jeopardize clean water, biodiversity, soil health, and climate/air quality.
At the KBS LTAR, scientists and community partners are working together to evaluate how row crop systems can be both profitable and environmentally sustainable. To do this, we are comparing conventional corn/soy systems to an alternative cropping system – which includes a five-crop rotation, cover crops, no-till cultivation, livestock integration, precision farming, and conservation strips. This alternative system was envisioned by leaders in Michigan agriculture who identified “what Michigan row crop agriculture could look like in 30 years.”
While only in year two, this LTAR experiment is uniquely valuable because it will ask these questions over decades and, thus, be able to identify both the short- and long-term trade-offs in economic and environmental benefits.
Curious to learn more? On September 15th, KBS LTAR and MSU-Extension will co-host the first annual KBS LTAR Field Day, titled “Sustainable Cropping Systems for the Future.”
This free event will feature a field tour of our aspirational cropping system (detailed in illustration below), research highlights, and conversations about precision farm management (variable rate nutrient applications, conservation strips) and how to fine-tune conservation practices (double-cropping, precision cover cropping, and more).
Event Details:
What: KBS LTAR Field Day: Sustainable Cropping Systems for the Future
When: Friday, September 15th, 10am-2pm
Where: KBS LTAR 9693 N 40th st. Hickory Corners, MI 49060
Free registration: www.tinyurl.com/ltarfieldday (register by September 1)
For questions and accessibility requests, please reach out to Tayler Ulbrich (email: chicoin1@msu.edu, phone: 515-953-8300).
