Source: UNIV OF MINNESOTA submitted to NRP
ADDRESSING HYPOXIA ISSUE ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0214026
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
NC-510
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2007
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2008
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
UNIV OF MINNESOTA
(N/A)
ST PAUL,MN 55108
Performing Department
AGRONOMY & PLANT GENETICS
Non Technical Summary
The overall objective of Green Lands, Blue Waters is to create economically viable enterprises using perennial and cover crop systems on working lands throughout the Upper Mississippi River Basin. This includes the supporting infrastructure from field to processing to market to consumption. The multi-state project develops educational materials and uses the established methodology of learning and enterprise groups to work and network with stakeholders in several states to develop, demonstrate, and support the most appropriate place-based perennial and cover crop systems. The GLBW Consortium Coordination Project will provide administrative, management, and materials development to focus and coordinate the overall Green Lands, Blue Waters initiative, the program leader and the Consortium board.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1020199302050%
1110210302025%
1121699302025%
Goals / Objectives
1. Optimize agricultural production on specific landscapes by developing new levels of collaboration to engage and leverage public and private resources and demonstrate models for integrating landscape use and agricultural production. 2. Support research and demonstration that facilitates use of ecological buffers and water retention areas. 3. Support diversification of Midwest agricultural markets and land use for bio-based and energy crops. 4. Provide evaluation and feedback of effectiveness of targeted interventions, case-specific research, and the Midwest states collaborative efforts.
Project Methods
Agroecosystem research: Evaluate grass-based systems. Evaluate cost-effectiveness of grass-based systems and overall profitability. Communication of science-based knowledge about market and non-market benefits from grass-based systems: Develop learning groups of stakeholders in key watersheds in Minnesota and participating states. Learning groups provide a forum for learning, innovation, and integration of different types of knowledge among stakeholders. The learning groups will identify the most promising continuous living cover systems, help design and carry out research and demonstrations, identify barriers to the adoption of perennial crops, the use of cover crops in annual crop systems, and agroforestry systems and propose effective means to remove them, and evaluate related Federal farm policy. Support implementation of multi-cropping systems: Support implementation of existing and new continuous living cover systems and their corresponding practices by transferring knowledge, providing necessary contacts, and advocating on behalf of the adopters. The GLBW Consortium Coordination Project will provide administrative, management, and materials development to focus and coordinate the overall Green Lands, Blue Waters initiative, the program leader and the Consortium board. The program coordinator responsibilities include: organize and coordinate meetings, forums, seminars, and working groups including the quarterly Consortium meetings; assist in the preparation of presentations, education and communication materials, and publications (yearbook of grass chapter compilation and editing); attend quarterly Consortium meetings and prepare and distribute minutes; maintain initiative files and databases of contact information; write and distribute periodic Consortium updates and other correspondence; prepare and submit expenses, track expenditures and prepare financial reports; provide support to Consortium members and state coordinating committees as required; assist in the development and submission of funding proposals; represent the initiative at meetings, conferences and other forums as assigned; respond to requests for information and assistance from the public.

Progress 10/01/07 to 09/30/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Background: The overall objective of Green Lands, Blue Waters is to create economically viable enterprises using perennial and cover crop systems on working lands throughout the Upper Mississippi River Basin. This includes the supporting infrastructure from field to processing to market to consumption. The multi-state project develops educational materials and uses the established methodology of learning and enterprise groups to work and network with stakeholders in several states to develop, demonstrate, and support the most appropriate place-based perennial and cover crop systems. Work plans for the five working groups were developed: 1) agroforestry systems, 2) perennial biomass crops, 3) cover crops for annual production systems, 4) perennial grain crops, and 5) perennial-based grazing systems. Added to the web site: www.greenlandsbluewaters.org. Completed a draft of the book entitled "Grassland: Quietness and Strength for a New American Agriculture." PARTICIPANTS: 1) Land Grant Universities University of Illinois Iowa State University, and Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture Louisiana State University University of Minnesota University of Wisconsin 2) Non-Governmental Organizations Audubon Society Illinois Stewardship Alliance Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy The Land Institute Land Stewardship Project Minnesota/Iowa Farmers Union The Nature Conservancy Trout Unlimited Practical Farmers of Iowa Rural Advantage Agricultural Watershed Institute TARGET AUDIENCES: Green Lands, Blue Waters is a consortium of scientists, policy experts, farmers and community organizers from over a dozen non-profit organizations, five land grant universities, and multiple government agencies in Mississippi River basin states from the Upper Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico. We have formed this collaborative in order to leverage and gain traction with our collective resources in effecting the systemic transformation in the agricultural system that we seek. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Each of the five working groups relied on learning group partners consisting of scientists, farmers and other stakeholders interested in the specific cropping category to develop, adjust, and implement action plans regarding research and development. The work and information within each working group was integrated at the consortium level through regular meetings, electronic forums, and consortium-wide activities. At the working group level, lessons learned in one group was shared with others and to ensure feedback between the priorities and insights of farmers, consumers, and scientists, and information about emerging solutions were directly communicated to the relevant stakeholders.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period