The United States Department of Agriculture’s Long-term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network: Research for innovation and sustainability

Authors: BOUGHTON, ELIZABETH - Archbold Biological Station; Abendroth, Lori; Archer, David; Augustine, David; AWADA, TALA - University Of Nebraska; Baffaut, Claire; Bestelmeyer, Brandon; Browning, Dawn; Coffin, Alisa; Dalzell, Brent; DELONG, ALIA - Archbold Biological Station; Derner, Justin; Fortuna, Ann-Marie; Heilman, Philip; Hoover, David; Huggins, David; Kaplan, Nicole; King, Kevin; Liebig, Mark; ROBERTSON, PHIL - Michigan State University; Spiegal, Sheri; ULBRICH, TAYLOR - Michigan State University; WILKE, BROOK - Michigan State University; Witthaus, Lindsey; WULFHURST, J - University Of Idaho; Tsegaye, Teferi

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2025
Publication Date: 10/15/2025
Citation: Boughton, E.H., Abendroth, L.J., Archer, D.W., Augustine, D.J., Awada, T., Baffaut, C., Bestelmeyer, B.T., Browning, D.M., Coffin, A.W., Dalzell, B.J., Delong, A., Derner, J.D., Fortuna, A., Heilman, P., Hoover, D.L., Huggins, D.R., Kaplan, N.E., King, K.W., Liebig, M.A., Robertson, P., Spiegal, S.A., Ulbrich, T., Wilke, B., Witthaus, L.M., Wulfhurst, J.D., Tsegaye, T.D. 2025. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Long-term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network: Research for innovation and sustainability [abstract]. 2025 International Forum on Agroecosystem Living Labs, October 15-17, 2025, Bordeaux, France.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Introduction Agriculture covers ~38% of the world’s land area and over 50% of the United States. Such a large land-use, combined with growing populations, creates an urgent need for more productive agriculture that protects and promotes rural prosperity, environmental integrity, and resilience. The USDA’s Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network aims to fulfill this grand challenge by co-producing innovations and research with agricultural stakeholders, including farmers, ranchers, agricultural and conservation professionals, NGOs, the public, and policy makers. Here we share lessons learned from LTAR including: 1) designing and testing innovative co-produced experiments in diverse agroecosystems (grazinglands, croplands, integrated systems), 2) developing a sustainable indicator framework, 3) incorporating a stakeholder-driven approach, and 4) evaluating agroecosystems at the national scale. Methods LTAR comprises 19 locations across the United States, including row crops, grazinglands, and integrated systems, representative of dominant U.S. agriculture production enterprises. LTAR sites are arrayed across 12 ecoclimatic domains and use both experimental and observational approaches that capitalize on historic data records. To develop and assess innovative agroecosystems, each LTAR site implements a hallmark Common Experiment contrasting site-specific “prevailing” management and “alternative” management strategies. These agroecosystems are representative of regional production, environmental, and socio-econ contexts. Common indicators across four sustainability domains (production, economic, environmental, and social) compared against region-specific benchmarks are utilized to understand and model outcomes. Working groups focused on stakeholder engagement and human dimensions are fostering innovation by enabling co-production of research and assessment of well being and capacity for change. Recent investments in a centralized data infrastructure built on the Network’s foundational data schema and standardization efforts will enable greater cross-site work to inform sustainability of agriculture at the national scale. Results LTAR sites are currently testing nine innovative management approaches in croplands, 10 in grazinglands, and five in integrated systems. Innovations were developed with input from a diversity of stakeholders that varied across the network. To assess innovations across four sustainability domains, LTAR is testing the Agricultural Performance Indicator and Context Knowledge System. This is a flexible approach designed for the operation-scale. Efforts are underway to scale-up the framework utilizing geospatial data and remote sensing. Early successes of cross-network national-scale analysis include water, phosphorus, and carbon budgets, assessment of water use efficiency metrics, designing monitoring networks, understanding manuresheds, assessment of region representation, and the effect of livestock management on plant diversity and stability of productivity. LTAR invests in data inventory, cataloging, automation, standardization, protocols, and integration of a centralized database and external repositories to foster cross-site network research. Long-term network research is needed to meet escalating production demands while simultaneously considering environmental outcomes. LTAR fills this need with a holistic, stakeholder-driven co-production approach. Network science leads to enhanced information sharing and learning across regions. Increased collaboration and interoperability with other network data systems will create opportunities for cross-network synergies and broad-scale synthesis at regional, national, and international levels.