Scientists, staff, and partners from across the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network gathered May 19–21, 2026, in Ames, Iowa, hosted by the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB) LTAR site. Representatives from all 19 LTAR sites, network leadership, working groups, and USDA partners came together to strengthen collaboration, align research priorities, and accelerate development of network-wide projects supporting USDA priorities.
Building on the momentum of recent strategic planning efforts, this year’s Annual Science Meeting (ASM) emphasized implementation. Participants focused on transforming the LTAR Strategic Plan into coordinated actions that leverage the network’s unique long-term experiments, standardized measurements, and multidisciplinary expertise to address national agricultural challenges.
The meeting centered on developing collaborative projects that advance the Secretary of Agriculture’s priorities while supporting the
ARS mission to deliver science-based solutions for producers and land managers. Discussions emphasized opportunities to integrate long-term datasets, common experiments, socioeconomic research, modeling, and stakeholder engagement into coordinated, cross-site initiatives that provide both regional relevance and national impact.
Throughout the meeting, initiative teams and working groups met to refine objectives, identify shared deliverables, and establish timelines for future collaboration. Sessions highlighted progress toward network-wide products including common experimental protocols, performance indicators, data integration efforts, communications resources, and stakeholder engagement tools designed to strengthen the network’s ability to translate science into practice.
Cross-network collaboration remained a defining characteristic of the meeting. Researchers from multiple disciplines worked together to identify opportunities for new proposals, shared datasets, coordinated analyses, and collaborative publications. Participants also discussed approaches for improving annual reporting, logic models, project coordination, and mechanisms for tracking progress toward strategic goals.
Celebrating Excellence Across the LTAR Network
One of the highlights of the 2026 LTAR Annual Science Meeting was recognizing individuals whose leadership, collaboration, innovation, and service have strengthened the LTAR Network.
Congratulations to all 2026 LTAR Award recipients:
- Founder’s Award: Betsey Boughton
- Network Impact Award: Mark Kautz and Aly Bean
- Early Career Award: Megan Donovan
- Support Scientist Award: Kevin Cole
- Stakeholder Award: Carol McFarland
- Special Recognition: Tayler Ulbrich
The meeting also included a special memorial recognition honoring Bruce Christopher Vandenberg for his enduring contributions to agricultural research and the LTAR community.
The 2026 ASM concluded with a shared commitment to advancing network-wide science that supports productive, profitable, and resilient agricultural systems. By strengthening partnerships across sites and disciplines while leveraging the LTAR Network’s long-term research capacity, participants laid the groundwork for collaborative projects that will continue to inform agricultural management, policy, and innovation for years to come.
