Progress 07/01/21 to 06/30/24
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:Our proposal included participants from multiple time zones which has made meetings and group writing difficult, but not impossible. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the early phase of this project the principal investigators (Dennis L Busch, John Phillips, Zach Lenning, Donita L. Cartmill, and Andrew D. Cartmill) identified and recruited additional participants from Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC), Univ. of WI-Platteville (UWP), and American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) to work assist with (1) the identification of common water quality and soil health challenges, (2) development of an inventory of relevant resources and facilities, (3) formulation of potential collaborative research, education, and outreach activities, and (4) generation and submission of a NLGCA Large-Scale Comprehensive Initiative grant focused on water quality and soil health. Our discussions were primarily conducted remotely utilizing cloud-based video conferencing due to our distant locations and localized covid restrictions. However, personnel from the UWP visited ANC in August of 2023 and representatives of Aaniiih Nakoda College traveled to the Univ. of WI-Platteville in May of 2024. Moreover, we meet for additional face-to-face discussions at the First Americans Land Grant Conference (FALCON) conference which was held in Denver in November of 2023. During our cross-site visits and video conferences we discovered multiple shared research interest and common soil health and water quality challenges. For example, both ANC and UWP had identified opportunities to increase the productivity and sustainability of pasture swords by implementing improved grazing management strategies (eg. managed intensive grazing) and interseeding pastures and rangeland with native grasses and/or forbs. While our grazing livestock are quite different (buffalo at ANC and Holsteins at UWP) many of our management and evaluation techniques could be similar across sites. In addition to the issue of pasture and rangeland sustainability, both institutions have active monitoring programs designed to determine how local land use influences the quality of surface and groundwater resources. Within the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation prior gold mining operations have resulted in cyanide contamination of water resources which are currently being monitored using chemical and biological methods. Similarly, chemical and biological monitoring of water resources are utilized to evaluate the impact farming systems have on water quality at UWP. A primary output of our planning activities was the development and distribution of a survey of institutions within AIHEC. The 50-question survey was designed to gauge respondent's level of interest in participating in a soil health / water quality research and education network. Survey results indicated a substantial level of interest in topics such as: developing a consortium with universities/colleges with similar interest in water and soils; development of for-credit lab and/or fieldwork curriculum; partnerships with organizations that can provide support; curriculum support for faculty; and professional development, training, and workshops for faculty. In addition to the survey, we developed a substantial list of institutional resources that could be utilized to support a NLGCA - TCU research and education network. For example, ANC currently operates a NSF-funded Buffalo Center and Water Center, a Community Garden with greenhouse, and USDA Extension program. Moreover, ANC offers several courses (e.g. Ecological Field Methods) and internship opportunities which could support network objectives. UWP agroecosystem research program lead by Dennis L. Busch has established a significant water quality (surface-water, groundwater, vadose zone), soil health, and greenhouse gas emissions monitoring program at their university farm and also offers classes (e.g. Applied Agricultural Hydrology) and internships that could be leveraged within the research network. While our discussion highlighted significant resources that could be leveraged to support a joint NLGCA - TCU research and education network, the authors believed that such a network would also benefit from the inclusion of an international research partner, and collaborators with expertise in data management and project evaluation. Therefore, we invited USDA ARS, Université de Montréal, and Massey University to participate in the grant proposal. The USDA ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment hosts the STEWARDS Database which serves data for the ARS Conservation Effects Assessment Project and they will provide support for database development activities. A third-party, expert social scientist from the Université de Montréal (Boris H. J.M Brummans) has been recruited to assist with development and evaluation of specific learning outcomes. In addition, as a key staff/project researcher (Andrew/Donita) recently joined the School of Agriculture and Environment at Massey University, and Massey University (MU) in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) was recruited as an international partner to allow for broader student social, cultural, and scientific learning experiences. Based on the results of our AIHEC survey, review of available resources, and research interest among the principal investigators, it was determined that our project would focus on soil health and water quality aspects related to our livestock grazing programs. As each of our locations had the capability to implement grazing activities, it could serve as a common focus for data collection, development of sustainability metrics, and educational activities. As a team we developed a list of data sets and specific parameters that would be collected across sites according to specific sample and data collection methods. The common research focus will facilitate cross-site data collection, comparisons, aggregation, and analysis by students, scientists, and educators participating in the project. Students will assist with in-field sample collection, data analysis, and data interpretation at their local site as well as field trips to other network sites. Students will also be encouraged to work on cross-site teams to facilitate a deeper understanding of production systems and ecoregions associated with each of the research locations and to provide more immersive cross-cultural experiences. The proposed research projects have significant support from the stakeholders on local, regional, and national scales. For example, the proposed UW-P research supports the U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative (NZI)/Dairy Soil Water Regeneration project: a national initiative developed to provide data via on-farm research focused on quantifying the impacts of dairy farm management on soil health, water quality, and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the research supports the USDA Long-Term Agroecosystems Research and Global Farm Platform research networks. Fort Belknap Indian Community (FBIC) through its advisory board developed Agricultural Resource Management Plan and Programmatic Environmental Assessment in 2018. One of the recommendations provided by the 2018 plan is to implement improved grazing techniques to reduce the negative impacts on soil and water quality. Led by Massey University, Whenua Haumanu is a partnership between Massey University and the Ministry for Primary Industries through the Sustainable Food and Fiber Future fund. It is the most comprehensive program on the effect of conventional and regenerative pastoral practices. Whenua Haumanu explores conventional and regenerative farming practices across both standard and diverse pastures at two of Massey University's working farms. An important focus of the proposed project is the incorporation of multiple perspectives on agroecological practices and understandings. Participants will assist in integrating cultural attitudes, understandings, and perspectives related to soil and water resources and food production, helping to ensure that the research outcomes generated from the projects are locally relevant and actionable.
Publications
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Progress 07/01/22 to 06/30/23
Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period faculty and staff from Univ. of WI-Platteville travelled to Harlem, Montana and visited co-investigators, faculty, staff, students, Extension personnel at Aaniiih Nakoda College to discuss available resources, local needs, and to gauge interest in future collaboration. The discussion was extended to additional Tribal Colleges and Universities during the FALCON (First American Land-Grant Consortion) conference held in Denver, Colorado. Later in the year, UW-Platteville hosted staff and students from Aaniiih Nakoda College. During their visit we toured UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm research facilities, visited local farmers, meet with UW-Platteville students, and discussed options for future collaborations. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The cross-site visits supported professional development for participants from both Univ. of WI-Platteville and Aaniiih Nakoda College. During these visits we discussed and compared local challenges facing agricultural production within each region. Moreover, we had the opportunity to frame these discussions within the differing cultural contexts and socio economic goals. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?This work has been disseminated to stakeholders within both communities through in-person and virtual meetings. In addition, hardcopies of our survey data and the NLGCA Large-Scale proposal were available to stakeholders. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to finalize and submit a Large-Scale NLGCA grant proposal.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During our cross-site virtual and in-person meetings, we have identified water quality and soil health challenges across the network, identified resources available for use in future projects, formulated research, education, and outreach activities, and drafted a NLGCA Large-Scale project proposal.
Publications
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