About MN LTARN

Photo of people in a field.

Society is challenging agriculture to provide an abundant, safe and healthy food supply along with a range of other products like animal products and bio-industrial feedstocks on an ever-shrinking resource base. Current agricultural practices are also facing acute challenges such as an increasing weed and insect resistance to pesticides and greater volatility in input costs and crop prices. It is important that our response to these issues does not compromise key ecosystem services or the natural resource base.

To better address the comprehensive and integrated nature of these challenges, the University of Minnesota recently initiated a Long-Term Agricultural Research Network (LTARN) that provides a regional platform for the development of novel and adaptive agricultural production strategies. Specifically, the LTARN is focused on strategies that facilitate the study of critical biophysical interactions among plants, soils, and microbes with goal of improving overall system efficiency, productivity, and stability. Understanding tradeoffs among the need for 1) greater productivity per unit area, 2) reduced short and long-term risks, and 3) greater system stability/resiliency of agriculture is a critical component of this work.

The LTARN currently comprises three research sites located across Minnesota – Waseca (south central), Lamberton (southwest), and Grand Rapids (northeast). A series of six cropping system models, including both annual and perennial crop sequences, are established at all network nodes in a large-plot replicated design. Cropping system models range from simple 2-crop rotation to complex perennial-based cropping systems. Multidisciplinary research within the LTARN employs both short- and medium-term studies to predict the long-term trends key to sustainability. Our network model provides uniformity and continuity to research across locations and over years. Our approach is also strongly linked to education and outreach.