The Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network

We are a growing research network focused on developing national strategies that respond to the agricultural challenges of the 21th Century: food security and climate change.

The LTAR Network is a partnership among 18 premier long-term research sites across the United States.

The Network has a multifaceted focus on satisfying increasing demand for agricultural commodities, protecting the quality of the environment, and enhancing the quality of life in rural areas and the Nation as a whole.

Who We Are

The LTAR Network is a growing group of researchers focused on finding solutions that maintain or increase agricultural productivity, environmental quality, and people well-being in spite of pressures such as climate change.  Read more

Our Research Approach

The LTAR network combines strategic research projects with common measurements on multiple agroecosystems (croplands, rangelands, and pasturelands) and develops new technologies to address local and national challenges and opportunities.
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Data Access

LTAR scientists are responsible for managing a rich legacy of data spanning over seventy years for many sites. Collectively, it is estimated LTAR manages [200+ terabytes] of data.
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The 18 LTAR Network Sites

The 18 LTAR Network Sites collaborate in coordinated strategic research that leverages a rich legacy of research and data collection. Read more

(Click dots to open LTAR site page)

LTAR Network Tweets ( @USLTAR )

30-yr collaborative study @UNL_IANR & @USLTAR on the impacts of cereal rye cover crop on corn yield, soil carbon, nitrate leaching & soil water in Eastern & Central Nebraska. https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/agj2.21291#.ZCHICpxTmm4.twitter @UNL_AgResearch

ARS makes managing cropland easier for growers worldwide. Learn how Management Zone Analyst, a software developed by ARS, makes managing cropland easier for growers worldwide https://bit.ly/3TDgwq1 #AgWeek

New article - using enterprise budgets to evaluate the profitability of raising grass-finished Raramuri Criollo (RC) in the Chihuahuan Desert. "Results show that RC cattle have lower operating and overhead costs when compared to Angus x Hereford" #cattle.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140196322002178?via%3Dihub

New study using long-term inorganic nitrogen data from KBS LTAR helped improve an agroecosystem model that predicts plant-available N! Models like this can improve N applications to maximize profit while also mitigating environmental impacts. @USLTAR https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972301522X

ARS researchers are studying the practice of planting trees to improve timber, livestock, and forage production and help mitigate the effects of climate change https://loom.ly/kQR21Dk #AgWeek

The future of agriculture is reliant on the next generation of innovators, communicators, producers, educators and leaders. Explore tools and resources aimed at empowering the nation's next generation of agricultural leaders. https://www.usda.gov/youth

ARS scientists are developing new techniques for cover crop breeders with the goal of helping breeders identify plants whose extended underground root systems are most effective at keeping nitrogen in the soil. Read to learn about it https://loom.ly/9xr1rQI #AgWeek

Beth Newingham with the Great Basin Rangelands Research Lab, researches wildfire mitigation w/ a focus on post fire rehabilitation and restoration. Listen in as she talks about the challenges, methods, and goals of wildfire mitigation https://bit.ly/3ALDmm8

#WomensHistoryMonth

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ABOUT LTAR

 

The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Long-Term Agroecosystem Research network consists of 18 Federal and university agricultural research sites with an average of over 50 years of history. The goal of this research network is to ensure sustained crop and livestock production and ecosystem services from agroecosystems, and to forecast and verify the effects of environmental trends, public policies, and emerging technologies.