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The Long Term Agroecosystem Research Network – Shared Research Strategy

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The Long Term Agroecosystem Research Network – Shared Research Strategy New Insights into Studies on Long-term Experimental Watersheds to Address Contemporary Emerging Issues (Part 1) THE LONG TERM AGROECOSYSTEM RESEARCH NETWORK – SHARED RESEARCH STRATEGY Jean L. Steiner, Timothy Strickland, Peter J.A. Kleinman, Kris Havstad, Thomas B. Moorman, M. Susan Moran, Phil Heilman, Ray B. Bryant, David Huggins, and Greg McCarty1 Abstract—While current weather patterns and rapidly accelerated changes in technology often focus attention on short-term trends in agriculture, the fundamental demands on modern agriculture to meet society food, feed, fuel and fiber production while providing the foundation for a healthy environment requires long-term perspective. The Long- Term Agroecoystem Research Network was established by USDA to ensure sustained crop and livestock production and ecosystem services from agriculture, as well as to forecast and verify the effects of environmental trends, public policies, and emerging technologies. The LTAR Network is comprised of 18 locations across the US, whose shared research strategy is to employ common measurements to advance four areas of foundational science: (1) agro-ecosystem productivity; (2) climate variability and change; (3) conservation and environmental quality; and (4) socio-economic viability and opportunities. Each Network location is engaged in a local adaptation of the “common experiment” which contrasts conventional production systems with innovative systems that optimize services. Protocols and services are being developed for collection, verification, organization, archives, access, and distribution of data associated with Network activities. INTRODUCTION Agriculture faces tremendous challenges in meeting multiple, diverse societal goals, including a safe and Challenges to agriculture have never been greater. The plentiful food supply, climate change adaptation/ American Society of Agronomy’s Grand Challenge for mitigation, supplying sources of bioenergy, improving the 21st Century (ASA 2011) is “to double global food, water/air/soil quality, and maintaining biodiversity. The feed, fiber, and fuel production on existing farmland Long Term Agroecosystem Research network (LTAR) was … with production systems that enable food security; developed in 2012 to enable long-term, trans-disciplinary use resources more efficiently; enhance soil, water, and science across farm resource regions to address these air quality, biodiversity, and ecosystem health; and are challenges (Walbridge and Shafer 2011). The goal of economically viable and socially responsible.” Long-term this research network is to ensure sustained crop and research is essential to understanding how agriculture livestock production and ecosystem services from has and will adapt to changes in technologies, consumer agro-ecosystems, and to forecast and verify the effects demands (food, fuel, fiber and other ecosystem services), of environmental trends, public policies, and emerging policy, resource availability and environmental stresses technologies. The LTAR shared research strategy (SRS) (Walbridge and Shafer 2011). Existing networks, such as is a living document, founded on the basic goals of the the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), LTAR Network and designed to capitalize on the strengths Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) network and of the 18 LTAR sites. The LTAR SRS creates common Smart Forest initiative (U.S. Forest Service) reflect the geographically- and temporally-scalable databases established recognition of the need for coordination and that deliver knowledge and applications within priority consistency in land management research programs. areas of concern: agro-ecosystem productivity; climate 1Jean Steiner, Soil Scientist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, El Reno, OK 73036 Timothy Strickland, Soil Scientist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Tifton, GA 37194 Peter Kleinman, Hydrologist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, University Park, PA 16802 Kris Havstad, Range Scientist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Las Cruses, NM 88003 Thomas Moorman, Microbiologist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA 50011 M. Susan Moran, Hydrologist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Tucson, AZ 85719 Phil Heilman, Hydrologist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Tucson, AZ 85719 Ray Bryant, Soil Scientist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, University Park, PA 16802 David Huggins, Soil Scientist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA 99164 Greg McCarty, Soil Scientist, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD 20705 Citation for proceedings: Stringer, Christina E.; Krauss, Ken W.; Latimer, James S., eds. 2016. Headwaters to estuaries: advances in watershed science and management—Proceedings of the Fifth Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds. March 2-5, 2015, North Charleston, South Carolina. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-211. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 302 p. 42 Headwaters to Estuaries: Advances in Watershed Science and Management New Insights into Studies on Long-term Experimental Watersheds to Address Contemporary Emerging Issues (Part 1) variability and change; conservation and environmental Annual Meetings quality; and socio-economic viability and opportunities. Periodic face-to-face meetings have been essential toward building shared understanding across the LTAR network. The first LTAR Annual Meeting was held in SITES conjunction with the 2012 LTER All-Scientists Meeting There are eighteen sites representing major in Estes Park, Colorado, and the subsequent joint LTAR/ agroecoregions of the US in the LTAR network, and NEON workshop at NEON HQ in Boulder, Colorado. flexibility to add additional sites to fill in critical gaps. Discussions at these meeting focused on the SRS and The first 10 sites were selected in 2012, all from long- Core measurements. The next Annual Meeting was term watershed, rangeland, or cropping system locations retreat style, held at the Central Plains Experimental within the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). In 2014, Range in Nunn, Colorado. A key output of that meeting eight additional sites were selected; some led by ARS, was development of the concept and basic outline of universities and private research foundation. During both a Common Experiment that would be implemented selection cycles, sites were evaluated on representation of at all sites. The team met again in conjunction at the a major agroecosystem, a history of long-term research 2014 American Geophysical Union fall meeting where and existence of historic data, demonstration of critical a Union Session was presented on The Long-Term mass with strong collaborative partnerships, and a record Agro-Ecosystem (LTAR) Network: A New In-Situ Data of scientific leadership and productivity as a team. The Network for Agriculture. The LTAR Research Committee diversity of sites is summarized briefly in Table 1. met and determined the need for a LTAR Team planning meeting, focused on the LTAR Core Measurements and Shared Protocols, which has been scheduled in Beltsville, PROCEDURES Maryland in spring of 2015. Research Committee The Shared Research Strategy and implementation for DISCUSSION elements within that strategy have been developed and The LTAR’s SRS is built upon a progressive approach coordinated through the LTAR Research Committee, that (1) focuses on priority research questions, consisting of a chair from ARS’s Office of National (2) reviews measurement variables and protocols used Programs and the site leads. Site leaders engage by sites to confirm comparability and identify a core members of their site teams, as needed, to advance set of variables and protocols for the network to adopt, LTAR planning and implementation. The work of the (3) develops shared data sets from across network Research Committee has been conducted through monthly sites, (4) initiates new monitoring and experimentation teleconferences, working groups, and annual meetings. efforts in conjunction with other networks, and (5) conducts retrospective analyses of trends across LTAR sites and modeling studies to generalize locally- Working Groups derived observations and forecast future outcomes. Following initial teleconference discussions, the Research Successful implementation of LTAR’s SRS is based Committee established a writing team to draft the SRS. on the commitment to the SRS across all network The writing team developed a draft and engaged the sites, energetic leadership from each participant in the broader LTAR community, ARS leadership, and an network, and the engagement of producers, partners and external review panel for feedback and refinement. The policymakers. The LTAR research is being structured first edition of the LTAR-SRS was posted to the LTAR to address four societal concerns: 1) Agroecosystem website (Bryant et al. 2013). After addition of 8 sites productivity and sustainability; 2) Climate variability and to the network, another working group was established change; 3) Conservation and environmental quality; and to update the SRS which is in final review by ARS 4) Socio-economic viability and opportunities. leadership. As the work of the SRS writing team progressed LTAR’s Shared Research Principles additional teams were established to develop a research Foundational science addresses the key societal concerns plan for a Common Experiment. The LTAR Core through research questions that are targeted toward Measurements and shared protocols are being developed development of improved understanding,
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