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ARS Home » Plains Area » Mandan, North Dakota » Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory » Research » Research Project #428131

Research Project: Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory and Area IV Soil Conservation Districts Research Farm Agreement

Location: Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory

Project Number: 3064-21660-004-002-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Dec 1, 2014
End Date: Nov 30, 2019

Objective:
The purpose of this agreement is to carry out cooperative research and to set forth understandings between ARS and the Area IV Soil Conservation Districts Research Farm for joint projects. 1. It is understood and agreed that while all parties are interested in basic and applied research: a. ARS is concerned with results having regional or national application; b. The Area IV Soil Conservation Districts of North Dakota (hereafter, ‘Area IV’) support a collaborative effort with the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory to provide land, known as the Area IV Soil Conservation Districts Research Farm, to research conservation tillage and cropping systems on farmer-sized fields on a long-term basis. 2. Investigations as well as other joint projects will be in cooperation with the Area IV Soil Conservation Districts Research Farm as appropriate to the joint projects. ARS and Area IV may also engage with private parties and nonprofit entities in North Dakota to enhance the cooperative research efforts.

Approach:
To develop long-term sustainable soil and crop management practices for the northern Great Plains and identify technologies that maximize the use of the region's soil and water resources with minimal negative environmental impact. This includes: (1) the development of sustainable soil, nutrient, weed control and water conservation technologies for dryland cropping systems that improve water and nutrient use efficiency and maintain/improve desirable soil physical and chemical properties; (2) quantify microbial plant associations and their effects on plant productivity in no-till dryland cropping systems; and (3) develop soil and crop management practices to include biofuel crops into alternative dryland cropping systems. These projects will fill information gaps and address urgent needs of farmers in the region.