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.

Learn about LTAR research

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)

News

Events

LTAR Network Tweets ( @USLTAR )

lori_abendrothLori Abendroth@lori_abendroth·
3 Nov

@LICOR_ENV @USLTAR @SchreinerMcGraw Tucker Prairie is a half hour east of Columbia. Details here: https://biology.missouri.edu/tucker-prairie

We are able to use this site to compare with @USLTAR row crop experiments located an hour away. We are assessing capacity for carbon sequestration from non-cultivated prairie.

TheJornadaThe Jornada@TheJornada·
1 Nov

Welcome Dr. Sarah McCord @mccord_se to her role as a Research Ecologist with USDA ARS Jornada unit. Sarah develops computational approaches to use continental-scale, field monitoring and other datasets to understand ecosystem change in #rangelands. @USLTAR

dataEcologistShawn Taylor 🌲🌵@dataEcologist·
21 Oct

A new preprint where I use deep learning models to track crop phenology in @PhenoCam images. Its tricky, and took a lot of trial and error the past 18 months to figure out. 1/2

@USLTAR

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.20.465168v1

BBestelmBrandon Bestelmeyer@BBestelm·
14 Oct

This new soil moisture product will be useful for explaining patters in #rangeland production, phenology, and restoration datasets. Take a look @dataEcologist @phenophase @mccord_se @TheJornada @USLTAR @LDN2030 https://twitter.com/NVergopolan/status/1447966923707207681

Noemi Vergopolan@NVergopolan

I am excited to announce SMAP-HydroBlocks:

The first #satellite-based surface #SoilMoisture dataset at 30-m resolution for the United States
🛰️💧🏞️

Data is #OpenAccess and peer-review paper is available @ScientificData

More in this thread👇

BBestelmBrandon Bestelmeyer@BBestelm·
1 Oct

Long-term network research for the next agricultural revolution @USLTAR @USDA_ARS https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fee.2403

numberwrightDr. Sarah Goslee, PhD@numberwright·
27 Sep

I am one of a large team doing @USLTAR network research on phenology, ably led by Dr. Dawn Browning. The latest from her team: https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2021/study-takes-seasonal-pulse-of-plant-productivity/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21008128

USLTARUS LTAR@USLTAR·
23 Sep

Climate change, feeding the world and the Long-Term Agroecosystems Research Network - an interview with @BBestelm
https://southernplainsperspective.wordpress.com/2021/08/16/climate-change-feeding-the-world-and-the-long-term-agroecosystems-research-network/

#USLTAR

TheJornadaThe Jornada@TheJornada·
31 Aug

A new study takes the "Seasonal Pulse" of Plant Productivity : USDA ARS https://ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2021/study-takes-seasonal-pulse-of-plant-productivity/#.YS2TGkNz_CU.twitter Led by @phenophase with data from @USLTAR @PhenoCamm @NEON_sci and @AmeriFlux

BBestelmBrandon Bestelmeyer@BBestelm·
27 Aug

New paper from @phenophase and @dataEcologist comparing Landsat, eddy covariance, and phenocams for estimating GPP across a variety of agroecosystems in @USLTAR @USLTER @NEON_sci sites across the US @TheJornada @USDA_ARS

https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S1470-160X(21)00812-8

nickmhaddadNick Haddad@nickmhaddad·
25 Mar

Today we burned 3-yr old prairie strips @KBSLTER @KelloggBioStn We planted these in 30-yr old experimental plots to test their effects on agriculture and environment. @nameerbaker @evanssarahe @DougALandis1

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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.