REGENERATING AMERICA'S WORKING LANDSCAPES TO ENHANCE NATURAL RESOURCES AND PUBLIC GOODS THROUGH PERENNIAL GROUNDCOVER (PGC)

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: ACTIVE
• Funding Source: AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1027572
• Grant No.: 2021-68012-35923
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $9,990,000.00
• Proposal No.: 2021-05726
• Project Start Date: Sep 15, 2021
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2026
• Grant Year: 2021
• Program Code: [A9201]- Sustainable Agricultural Systems

Recipient Organization
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
2229 Lincoln Way
AMES,IA 50011

Performing Department
Ag & Biosystems Engineering

Non Technical Summary
Achieving the AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems program (SAS) goal of transforming the US agricultural system to sustainably increase production by 40% requires large-scale production agriculture, across multiple crops, to profoundly change its bare-soil winter-fallow practices. These conventional practices negatively impact soil health and natural resources conservation - the pillars of agricultural systems sustainability. A scalable solution to this challenge is the implementation of perennial groundcover (PGC) cropping systems, which use an ecologically complementary, permanent, groundcover in fields where annual cash crops are grown. This transformative approach to large-scale agricultural production increases the duration and extent of groundcover on cropland, enhancing resiliency and improving the quality of water, air, and soil. Working closely with farmer, NGO, and industry stakeholders, this project will develop and refine PGC approaches enabling high-yielding row-crop production while improving soil and water quality, providing large increases in the availability of lignocellulosic feedstocks, and preserving or increasing farm income. This project will develop best management practices for growing crops and suppressing weeds with PGC, develop improved crop and groundcover genetics, develop appropriate soil and nutrient management practices, quantify the environmental impacts, and determine the policy and socioeconomic implications of adoption of PGC approaches. Knowledge gained through this project will be used to educate a new generation of undergraduate and graduate students who recognize the opportunities to enhance agriculture by perennial groundcovers. We will provide a multi-pronged extension effort using a combination of hands-on field days, farmer meetings, and online resources to educate practitioners about the opportunities and challenges of the system.

Animal Health Component

40%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

20%

Applied

40%

Developmental

40%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
205	0199	1070	20%
201	0199	1081	25%
101	0110	1010	20%
111	0210	2020	15%
205	2410	3010	20%

Knowledge Area
111 - Conservation and Efficient Use of Water; 205 - Plant Management Systems; 101 - Appraisal of Soil Resources; 201 - Plant Genome, Genetics, and Genetic Mechanisms;

Subject Of Investigation
0110 - Soil; 0210 - Water resources; 0199 - Soil and land, general; 2410 - Cross-commodity research--multiple crops;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering; 1070 - Ecology; 1081 - Breeding; 1010 - Nutrition and metabolism; 3010 - Economics;

Keywords

nutrient-use-efficiency

soil-conservation

soil-organic-matter

total-factor-productivity

Goals / Objectives
Groundcover's potential to conserve soil resources is long recognized. However, cover cropping is practiced at rates of barely 4% on much of the US working landscape, likely due to economic and labor-requirement barriers, as well as a restricted planting window with the timing of row crop operations. To achieve long-sought conservation goals, we need a year-round ground cover that is compatible with dominant crops and cropping systems, doesn't significantly increase production cost or reduce yield, and is sufficiently attractive to producers to be implemented widely.The long-term goal of this project is to develop and de-risk a transformative method for increasing groundcover on working landscapes, thereby realizing urgently-needed environmental benefits. Our vision is to develop a perennial cover-cropping system that requires less labor, provides equal or more ecosystem benefits, and increases resiliency, while having an overall economic profile that equivalent to, or better than conventional row-crop practices.We will reach these long-term goals by refining the Perennial GroundCover" (PGC) approach. In the PGC approach, a perennial cover crop is planted once and then persists for multiple years in working lands where annual crops are grown. By providing year-round cover on cropland, PGC provides multiple ecosystem services including conserving soil resources, reducing nutrient export from cropland, enhancing carbon sequestration, and suppressing weeds thereby reducing herbicide requirements. Because a PGC approach has lower management requirements than conventional cover cropping, PGC has the potential to be more widely adopted than conventional cover cropping.To make a tangible difference to soil conservation and water quality, we must develop systems that can be implemented on large fractions of the landscape. We believe the PGC approach could meet this requirement, because of the flexibility it provides. Specifically, in PGC systems, the annual crop provides the primary revenue, and gives growers the flexibility to select crops and seeds to suit market trends and leverage novel traits. The PGC approach is applicable to several key crops for which markets and infrastructure exist, including cotton, sorghum, maize, and soybean. Because PGC may be able to achieve Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) level benefits on working lands, deploying perennial cover crops on a significant portion of these acres would have profound positive environmental consequences and would system resiliency to climate variability.In small plots, PGC approaches have proven they can be implemented with minimal or no loss of crop yield -- when properly managed. The current PGC approaches are not sufficiently reliable (from a yield standpoint) to be widely adopted. Therefore, we will develop and de-risking PGC practices using a transdisciplinary approach because of the interactions inherent to the system. Our five project objectives address specific challenges / opportunities for system improvement, and will synergistically accomplish the overall project goal of developing and de-risking PGC approaches, thereby perennializing large fractions of the working landscape, preserving critical soil resources, and realizing significant environmental benefits:Objective 1, Crop Ecology and Management, focuses on developing and testing best management practices for cash crops with perennial groundcover and managing the transition from current practices. Objective 1 will improve PGC economics by tuning and integrating the management of the groundcover and cash crop, thereby reducing risk.Objective 2, Plant Breeding and Genetics, focuses on PGC cropping system optimization by screening for superior groundcovers and maize hybrids that minimize competition as each occupies its own temporal or spatial niche. This enhances the economic viability of PGC through yield improvement and reduced management requirements, while increasing ecosystem impacts via reduced chemical inputs. It also enables design of novel breeding strategies / establishes dedicated breeding programs for PGC hybrids and varieties.Objective 3, Soil Health and Nutrient Management, focuses on understanding how, and quantifying the degree to which, different PGC approaches impact soil health and nutrient use / loss. Because soil health drives crop productivity and environmental impacts, this knowledge is crucial both to better managing PGC systems, and to characterizing the indirect economic benefits associated with PGC, which in turn inform policy and deployment.Objective 4, Ecosystem Services and Modeling, focuses on quantifying the provision of ecosystem services derived from PGC implementation. This objective considers a wide range of ecosystem services including improved water quality, flood and drought mitigation, protection from soil erosion, carbon sequestration, and provision of biofuel feedstock and/or fodder. Quantification is crucial to incentivize farmers for ecosystem services.Objective 5, Socioeconomic Impacts and Policy, evaluates the conditions under which the proposed practices are economically sustainable for farmers and input suppliers in the PGC supply chain, and wellbeing-enhancing for farmers and consumers, and integrates them by considering how PGC fits into existing policy frameworks. This objective synthesizes information from other objectives and quantifies the overall value proposition for various versions of PGC.Note: The estimated FTEs in the section above represent the efforts of all project participants in all participating institutions.

Project Methods
This project will leverage Breedbase (https://breedbase.org/), a web-based comprehensive breeding and agronomic data management system created through the USDA NIFA CSREES 2007-02777 SolCAP project. The PGC Breedbase instance and the Breedbase cloud-based tools will be used to design field layouts, collect agronomic data using tablets, and sync, store, and share data with the PGC CAP team and make the data truly open-access. We envision this platform as a central hub for anyone desiring to learn about and participate in PGC research.This project primarily focuses on collecting field data, including agronomic, water quality and quantity, soil health, weather, site parameters, and field operations metadata. These efforts will occur throughout the project's life, necessitating timely upload and review of field data. Data collection will occur between 2022 and 2026 and includes measurements ranging from annual plot-level yield data to hourly, sensor-based readings. Agronomic data will be digitally collected using the fieldbook app, and soil health data from the community science network will be collected using the TLI-citsci.org mobile app and web platform. Besides biophysical measurements collected at the experimental sites, research data also includes collecting published work, including refereed journals, theses, and dissertations. STEM data will also be collected on all graduate and post-doctoral associates following US Department of Education standards. Extension and education data will include the number of stakeholders reached, developed products, and social media and web content usage through Google Analytics and other relevant social media usage trackers.Research data will be machine-readable as it will be stored in data tables in Breedbase and can be exported in row-column configuration as CSV files for end users if necessary. A structured data dictionary will be created following the DataOne best practices and contain variables for management metadata, research measurements, and on-site and network weather data. Variable codes will be similar in overall approach to other agricultural dictionaries and can be related in the future, if valuable. The data dictionary will be provided for PGC Breedbase users and include variable name, value range, units, methodology, and description. Pointers can be included in the PGC Breedbase instance to direct users to raw GHG emission and other more extensive sensor-based readings and datasets. Non-research products and outputs will be maintained in a google drive spreadsheet database as tabular data using citation standards such as author, title, source, date, online reference, and an estimate of stakeholders impacted, where appropriate.During the project, the PGC breedbase cloud-based resources will facilitate user interaction, but all primary research data and metadata and the PGC breedbase instance will be housed and backed up on servers in Kansas State University "Beocat" computing cluster to ensure archival. Database files undergo a two-site backup system, with continued support of the server infrastructure, to allow data recovery in case of file loss or corruption. All raw data is backed up weekly to a cloud storage archive on the Microsoft Azure platform. Post-project, the project will have primary data and metadata at the USDA National Ag Library (NAL) Ag Data Commons along with a redirect to publicly-accessible PGC Breedbase interface for users to query, subset, and visualize the data. Non-research products and outputs will be maintained in the cloud for storage and made publicly available on the team website. Post-project, all publications and products will be preserved in The Land Institute library repository (e.g., https://landinstitute.org/learn/scientific-publications/).During the project, research data and metadata will be available for the team members exclusively. Management personnel will regularly update the list of data users and specify their individual permissions for each file, folder, and the Breedbase instance by managing the access control list (ACL). If security issues arise, the user(s) will be removed from the list or given limited access until the issues are resolved. Due to privacy concerns, raw socio-economic and other sensitive data with personal identification will not be shared with the team or made publicly available upon project completion. The Iowa State University IRB will review privacy and protection issues. The principal investigators leading studies involving sensitive information will ensure regulations are followed. Only trained staff operating under the IRB approval will have access to the confidential, individually identifiable data. The IRB-approved personnel will anonymize any sensitive data in the dataset by removing direct identifiers before depositing in the repository. The team will discuss and adopt a set of publication and data sharing guidelines to define team members' roles and responsibilities in sharing and publishing from the collected datasets. Biophysical and socio-economic data that are summarized may be shared via academic presentations and outreach activities planned under this project. One-year after project completion, the research data and corresponding metadata will be made available through the PGC Breedbase instance and the USDA National Ag Library (USDA NAL), which will assign a permanent DOI to the dataset and any subsequent versions. Interested parties will be able to download the data directly without contacting the authors, but will be requested to cite the dataset in their publications. The PGC Breedbase interface will provide data visualization tools, citation and use criteria, description of methods, research site descriptions, and research publications. In addition, all education and extension products will be made available on the PGC website as they are completed and published.Data entry and quality control (QC) will ultimately be the project director's responsibility and the co-PDs at each research site; however, data management personnel will partner closely. Steps overall in carrying out this effort include: traveling to each experimental site to collect site metadata; developing data schema to represent treatments and data variables; standardizing data and supporting metadata by incorporating static variable names, methods, and descriptions for proper interpretation by users; creating data entry interfaces for members to enter measurements, management operations, and on-site weather data; review of data uploaded by members each year; and performing QC.PDs will ensure the implementation of the DMP by the team. On-going interaction between team members and data personnel will support team goals of building a collaborative environment. Reporting will occur following each growing season regarding data entry and be an agenda topic for the Executive Committee routinely to ensure co-PDs are meeting responsibilities.All activities of the CAP will be assessed and evaluated in a continual improvement process conducted by the independent evaluator. The evaluation will enable planning, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on: 1) Achievement of project milestones and measurable outcomes at regular intervals throughout the project (formative evaluation); and 2) The quality of and extent to which project outcomes have been achieved during the project and have already achieved and/or are likely to lead to significant long-term impacts (summative evaluation).

Progress 09/15/23 to 09/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience consists of : Agribusiness Professionals: farmers, land-owners, seed companies, miscellaneous agri-business entities Prospective Graduate Students: We recruited several new graduate students for the project Secondary School Education Personnel: We recruited some secondary school teachers for our initial RET program Undergraduates pursuing a career in teaching science in the secondary schools The "Interested Public": We hosted several presentations and field days intended to provide information about the PGC vision to the interested public. In-person events were primarily held in Iowa. We also hosted and/or participated in a number of internet-based events where attendance extended throughout the US and the world. Changes/Problems:We had planned to have an Undergraduate Internship Program at project institutions during the academic years. This program was discontinued due to insufficient interest by undergraduate students working in the labs of project co-directors. All other activities remain on track for timely completion when compared to the original proposal. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training Activities Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). The REU program allows undergrad students interested in future careers as STEM teachers to engage in a hands-on research project with a RegenPGC mentor and their research team. In the summer of 2024, we provided opportunities for 2 undergraduate students. Each student was also assigned a graduate student supervisor, providing graduate students with an extra growth opportunity. Research Experience for Teachers (RET). The RET program allows middle and high school teachers to gain research experiences and form ongoing relationships with RegenPGC mentors and graduate students. The goal is for participants to share their RegenPGC experiences with their students and inspire young persons to learn more about STEM subjects. In the summer of 2024, we provided opportunities for 3 teachers. Graduate Education Community Graduate Student Onboarding. All new graduate students went through an onboarding session with PD Raman. During the academic year, the RegenPGC Graduate Community seminar met monthly in the fall and weekly throughout the spring semester. Graduate students were exposed to numerous professional activities and settings (RegenPGC Annual Meeting, professional society, scientific meetings, and a multi-day trip to The Land Institute in Kansas (project partner). Intercultural Development Inventory Most graduate students participated in the IDI program. They each independently took the IDI survey and were debriefed as a group. Later, they were debriefed individually by the RegenPGC evaluator. FFA Agriculture instructors from ten selected schools piloted materials developed for perennial cover crops. Two Univ. of Kentucky graduate students started their programs in August 2023. They attended the North Central Weed Science Society annual meeting (Dec. 2023), receiving second and first place in a student project proposal video contest. Hallie Sandeen was awarded with the UK "Outstanding New MS Student" in the Integrated Plant and Soil Sciences graduate program. Lastly, both students presented their research to over 80 farmers, extension agents, and ag industry professionals at the UK Pest Management Field Day in June 2024. Year 3 Professional Development PGC Cafe. We host a weekly RegenPGC Café for all project participants to exchange information informally. This allows graduate students to interact with academic professionals beyond their research group. Year 3 Training Opportunities Sorenson Farm Field Day (9/5/23). The discussion focused on planting equipment, using a systems approach, and miscellaneous PGC challenges. Gaesser Farm Field Day (11/1/23). This farm is owned and managed by Stakeholder Advisory Board member Ray Gaesser. Discussions centered around an overview of the proposed PGC system, management options and perspectives, and the potential benefits that a PGC system can bring to a farming operation. Iowa Learning Farms On-Line Virtual Field Day (3//21/24) Iowa Learning Farms Conservation Webinar (6/5/24) Black Hawk Soil and Water Conservation District (6/13/24) Cosponsored with RegenPGC RegenPGC Field Day: Corning, IA (7/24/24) RegenPGC Field Day: Nashua, IA (8/7/24) RegenPGC Field Day: Ames, IA (Aug. 14, 2024) Demonstrated the PGC system at Iowa State's Ag & Natural Resources Extension professionals event, providing valuable information to over 200 attendees. Designed an "Experience Extension" 4-week program to enhance student understanding of extension and teach them how to present research more effectively to farmers and technical service providers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We continue disseminating information using the following methods: Participation in agri-business events (field days and farm shows) Presentations in professional society meetings Publications in academic journals Forge relationships with outreach groups such as I to be able to present and share information on their existing platforms. Collaborations with university and agri-business press aimed at sharing our PGC vision in articles aimed at agricultural producers throughout the US Midwest Maintain an updated project website (www.regenpgc.org) Maintain a social media presence with a focus on the LinkedIn platform Continue meeting with our Farmer Landowner Advisory Group. Field Days (in-person & virtual) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Project Governance Year 3 Annual Meeting. The Meeting is scheduled for Oct. 23 - 25, 2024, at the University of Missouri-Columbia. With the project maturing, we will have a longer presentation by the Education Theme, a more comprehensive review of field-trial successes and failures, and oral presentations by graduate students. Theme 1. Research & Development Data Management. Deployment and utilization of the established research trial meta-data framework for all on-farm research plots and institutional studies for meta-analysis and summarization of research across objectives. Characterizing PGC Quality. Develop statistical modeling approaches to leverage the data generated from the image acquisition + machine learning algorithm framework to assess how PGC quality contributes to variation in cropping system responses (yield, net revenue return, water infiltration, etc.) measured across the research objectives). Moving PGC Establishment and Suppression Practices up the Technology Readiness Scale. Conducting targeted agronomic research studies that identify best management practices for PGC establishment and suppression using the standardized data management and PGC quality characterization frameworks. RegenPGC Research Cross-cutting Research. Transition the weekly RegenPGC Café to a new structure that includes 40 minutes of graduate student or stakeholder research. Theme 2. Extension We are developing theUnlocking the Potential of Perennial Ground Covers in Corn and Corn/Soybean Production Systems RegenPGC Lunch Learn Webinar Series. This will be a four-week series proposed to start Jan. 14, 2025. The goal is for participants to explore the innovative use of perennial ground covers in corn and corn/soybean production systems as a cover crop. The series will be held on 4 consecutive Tuesdays during the noon hour. The 4 webinars will cover: Perennial Ground System Overview & Management Basics Selecting Groundcovers & Ideal Groundcover Characteristics Groundcover Suppression & Weed Management Environmental Benefits & Insurance Possibilities We will produce a video series, "How Not to Make a Light Bulb." Inspired by Thomas Edison's famous quote on learning from failure, the series will highlight lessons from less successful PGC trials. Each video will provide insights into what didn't work and how these experiences have shaped our understanding and refined our approach to successfully implementing perennial ground covers in corn and corn/soybean production systems. Theme 3. Education Instructional Development. We will continue to develop instructional materials related to the science and practice behind PGC systems. Undergraduate REU/ RET Programs. The programs will continue with the same format; recruiting will start in early 2025. Graduate Education Community. The graduate student/postdoc community will continue to meet weekly during the academic year. Eleven graduate students and post-docs will present at the RegenPGC Café Fall 2024 Seminar Series. Professional workshops and training will be offered throughout the year focusing on team building and collaboration skills. FFA and 4H Programs. We will collect and analyze feedback from educators on the impact of RegenPGC youth programs. Revise and publish perennial groundcover K-12 lesson plans and day camp materials. We will create additional lesson plans based on research findings. Implement a citizen science program with a target group of youth through collaboration with 4-H and FFA. Continue implementing youth programs for K-12 youth in rural and urban settings through collaboration with youth-serving organizations. Theme 4. Commercialization Continue developing relationships within the agri-business community and the bio-processing community. Obj. 1. Crop Ecology & Management Kentucky Repeat all graduate student experiments, with establishment occurring in 9/2024. Data collection will continue over the fall, winter, and spring. Suppression and corn planting will start 5/2025, with relevant data collection continuing through the summer/fall of 2025. Students will continue with data analysis and interpretation, and research findings from KY will be shared by the 2 graduate students at the annual RegenPGC project meeting and at the NCWSS annual meeting. Iowa. Host a Field Day to showcase the system to anyone who is interested in PGCs. Harvest in October (grain and biomass, where appropriate) to determine yield. Master's students will finish their experiments and begin publishing their research findings and present information at the national meetings in 11/2024. PGC establishment for future experiments will happen between Aug. - Oct. 2024. Ongoing experiments will be assessed for any needed changes, and potential new experiments will be vetted over winter for inclusion in the upcoming field season.Existing experiments will continue in 2025; new studies will be initiated as per protocol. Obj. 2. Plant Breeding & Genetics Continue screening the most promising TC genotypes in PGC environments through drone-based and manual phenotyping to refine our selection criteria. Our goal is to identify key genotypes/management practices that can enhance yields, with plans to provide targeted recommendations for future breeding programs and management strategies based on our comprehensive multi-year data analysis. Compile and analyze 3 years of experimental data to evaluate long-term trends in PGC performance and productivity. Implement the comprehensive species-by-suppression method field trial to determine which species-by-suppression method combination results in the least grain yield loss while providing adequate ecosystem services. Extensive data collection for the newly established Poa bulbosa and P. secunda space plant trials will be performed. Perform growth chamber studies on the genetic characterization of Poa bulbosa and P. secunda, such as vernalization requirement, reproductive mode, ploidy level, genetic diversity, and freezing tolerance. An additional entry of Poa bulbosa and a Poa secunda cultivar will be sequenced by Corteva. Genome assembly and analyses will be performed in collaboration with Corteva. Obj. 3. Soil Health & Nutrient Management Working on a publication on KBG varieties and Poa bulbosa's effects on crop yield and soil water/nutrients. Submit by 12/24. Working on an intensive soil/root sampling manuscript from the 6/2023 sampling. Submit by 12/24. Solidifying a 2-3 year dataset from on-farm trials. This will be submitted by 5/2025. Obj. 4. Ecosystem Services & Modeling Modeling to Quantify PGC Impacts on Water Quality Modeling to quantify PGC impacts on water quality + Modeling to quantify PGC ecosystem service sustainability indicators Obj. 5. Socioeconomic Impacts & Policy Evaluate the economic feasibility of PGC systems for maize producers. Quantify the economic incentives for ecosystem services that an optimized PGC system can deliver over standard continuous corn. The enterprise budget format that we used for our technoeconomic evaluation couldn't incorporate the on-and off-farm value of the environmental and natural resources benefits. We will use theUSDA Natural Resources Inventory and National Centers for Environmental Informationraw data to map variables associated with PGC adoption. Evaluate the market and aggregate welfare effects of PGC approaches. The model will be ready to incorporate different yield scenarios based on management practices determined by the other objectives. We will fine-tune and run the model's cellulosic module. Continue identifying the socioeconomic barriers/potential facilitators to PGC adoption Explore the role of input supply agribusinesses in the PGC supply chain. Utilize spatial mapping and analysis to understand what role cooperative agribusiness concentration and locations play in conservation-type practices directly or indirectly in farm-level production decisions.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Project Governance. Our Year 2 Annual Meeting (Oct. 2023, Corteva Agriscience campus) had excellent attendance with a strong stakeholder advisory board and grad student presence. The meeting was highly interactive, as hoped. Further efforts at promoting interactions between project participants have been very fruitful: PGC Café. The weekly virtual RegenPGC Café continued to be a place for students and co-PDs to discuss their research, opinions, perceived PGC system opportunities and barriers, and interconnections among their efforts. Weekly Research Meetings. The Research Theme Leader and the PD hosted weekly meetings on specific field research questions. Theme 1. Research and Development Established a framework and ontology for collecting meta-data needed for cross-cutting research throughout the project. Identified PGC establishment and suppression management as key barriers to scaling the PGC system. New trials that assess agronomic practices, species/variety differences, and soil, water, and economic outcomes were planned and initiated. Theme 2. Extension Hosted 3 field days and supported a 4th organized by NRCS, collectively reaching about 100 individuals. Established RHB Trials & Erosion Control Trials. Demonstrated significant reductions in nitrate losses to tile drainage under Kentucky Bluegrass and continuous corn rotation. Developed a winter webinar series focused on PGC. Designed an "Experience Extension" 4-week program to enhance student understanding of extension, teaching them how to present research more effectively to farmers and technical service providers. Theme 3. Education Theme Instructional Development Developed materials specifically for FFA and 4H K-12 students. Developed materials related to the science and practice of PGC systems to introduce high school agriculture students to research methodology and the project. Research Experience for Undergraduates & Teachers 2 REUs and 3 RETs participated in the 2024 programs. The REU/RET Coordinator and 2 RETs were invited to present their research posters at the Partners in Science Annual Conference. Graduate Student Community. The graduate community seminar met monthly in the fall and weekly in the spring semester. Students participated in the annual meeting and attended meetings of professional and scientific societies. Students participated in a trip to the Land Institute (Salina, Kansas), where they learned about the Institute's mission and research. Most graduate students participated in the Intercultural Development Inventory program. FFA & 4H Programs. The most significant accomplishment of the K-12 youth component was implementing PGC educational programs with over 900 youth. Promoted lesson plans and citizen science projects through 4-H and FFA newsletters and a webinar. FFA Agriculture instructors from 10 schools piloted materials developed for PGC crops. Theme 4. Commercialization We continue interacting with the producer community to obtain feedback on our research progress. Input from producers and the Stakeholder Advisory Board is crucial to PGC adoption. Obj. 1. Crop Ecology & Management Kentucky. All sites successfully established PGC plantings in Fall 2023. Iowa. Following an exceptionally dry summer in 2023, precipitation returned to normal or above in the fall. Overall, grain yields from the corn grown in PGC were surprisingly good. Yields varied widely depending on the experiment and treatments used, which greatly helped to define the areas where more work needs to be done. Obj. 2. Plant Breeding & Genetics Made significant progress in evaluating maize hybrids and identifying key traits that contribute to their performance across different regions (IA, NE, and KS). Successfully tested 54 TC hybrids developed through the double haploid method (ISU) and 2 hybrids from Corteva, focusing on interactions with the maize x PGC (GxMxE) interactions. The work provided crucial insights into the significance and mechanisms of GxMxE interactions, revealing how these factors influence hybrid performance under varying environmental conditions. Field trial data indicates that without chemical suppression, summer dormant Poa bulbosa resulted in an insignificant granule reduction of maize while providing adequate ground coverage when fields were fallow. A summer-dormant species, Poa secunda, emerged as a promising PGC candidate species. Obj. 3. Soil Health & Nutrient Management Started incubation of 2023 intensive sampling soils Consolidated 2023 intensive sampling data for analysis. Completed QA/QC of 2023 intensive sampling and on-farm data Ran 2023 intensive sampling soil enzymes Extracted 2023 intensive sampling and on-farm soils for inorganic N and organic C Obj. 4. Ecosystem Services & Modeling Field Experimentation. Conducted rainfall simulation experiments to gather data on runoff and erosion under PGC compared to other systems. We designed 5 treatments: Bare Land, Corn, Corn on Residue, PGC, and Perennial Grass (G), with three replications of each. PGC reduced runoff by 61% compared to conventional corn and lowered sediment transport by 90% compared to conventional corn. Modeling to Quantify PGC Impacts on Water Quality. We made progress in our modeling effort with the EPIC model, using data from the field as a basis for calibration. Modeling to quantify PGC ecosystem service sustainability indicators: We focused the modeling efforts on competition for soil moisture between the PGC and corn, which first required parameterization of a model of Kentucky Bluegrass (KBG) as a perennial cover. The STICS model predicted annual ET well but gave less satisfactory results for clipping yield, deep percolation, and leaching. Limitations in STICS's ability to implement management practices typical of turf grass, particularly weekly cuttings, limited model performance; however, these limitations are irrelevant to modeling a corn-PGC production system. We investigated STICS replication of trends in plant water use and soil moisture observed in situ. The study included two seasons with above-average precipitation (2008 and 2010) and one (2009) with average rainfall. In 2010, the spring was drier than typical, whereas 2008 and 2009 had more than typical spring precipitation. Model predictions of SWC and yield were satisfactory. The model predicted larger differences in SWC between plots during the reproductive phase than observed, especially in 2008 and 2009. Obj. 5. Socioeconomic Impacts & Policy We made much progress as data and learnings about PGC emerged from other objectives, allowing us to develop tools to explore and understand the economic realities of PGC adoption and market impacts. We made significant progress in surveying producers to understand the socioeconomic factors that can be expected to impact PGC adoption. Updated the CAMS modeling system with recent agricultural supply, utilization factors, and prices and began incorporating PGC costs. The sociological barriers and facilitators to perennial cover systems were identified using a survey: natural, cultural, human, social, political, financial, and built. This resulted in developing the 3C dataverse: community capitals, cover crops, and conservation agriculture, which will permit ongoing descriptive and inferential statistics on important sociological factors. Quantified - with 2024 data and perennial system realities to date - expected PGC economic cost/revenue profile, including crop insurance and farm program. This led to a techno-economic evaluation of the net return and variability of the PGC system relative to standard corn production.

Publications

• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Myers-Bailey, Gabrielle (2024). Analysis and Assessment of Novel Food, Bioenergy, and Cropping Systems: Cultured Meat, Anaerobic Digestion, and Perennial Groundcover Analysis and Assessment of Novel Food, Bioenergy, and Cropping Systems: Cultured Meat, Anaerobic Digestion, and Perennial Groundcover. [Doctoral Dissertation, Iowa State University]. PROQUEST Repository and https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Gabrielle-Myers-Thesis.pdf.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Rockson, Philip, E. (2024). Visualization of agricultural field operations [Masters thesis, Iowa State University]. PROQUEST Repository & https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rockson-Visualization_of_Agricultural_.pdf. Available Jun. 5, 2026.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Topping, Kaila. (2024). Simulation of the water balance in a perennial groundcover corn intercrop with the STICS crop model [Masters thesis, University of Wisconsin, Madison]. https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Topping-Agroecology-Thesis.pdf
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Olowoyeye, Oluwatuyi. S. & Kaleita, Amy. (2024, April 18). Can Perennial Groundcover (PGC) Improve Soil Health? [Meeting presentation]. FFAR Fellowship Residential Session. Raleigh, NC, United States.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Cheguri, Prathyusha. (2024, April 3). Photothermal Effects in Inflorescence Development in Poa Bulbosa. From Code to Cure Bridging the Gap in Biological Sciences [Poster presentation]. 2nd Annual Iowa State University Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Symposium. Ames, IA, United States. https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-3-22-Cheguri-Poster-RF-Baker-Poster.pdf
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Cheguri, Prathyusha. (2024, March 22). Photothermal Effects in Inflorescence Development in Poa Bulbosa [Poster presentation]. From Code to Cure Bridging the Gap in Biological Sciences. 2nd R.F. Baker Plant Breeding Symposium, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States. https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-3-22-Cheguri-Poster-RF-Baker-Poster.pdf
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Schlautman, Brandon. (2024, February 23). Perennial row-cropping systems: innovation for soil conservation, water management, and the sustainable intensification of agriculture [Meeting presentation]. Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario Annual Meeting, Kitchener, Canada.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Olowoyeye, Oluwatuyi. S. & Kaleita, Amy. (2024, February 16). Investigating Erosion Reduction Rate under the Perennial Ground Cover (PGC) system using the Rainfall Simulation [Poster presentation]. Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Symposium, Ames, Iowa, United States.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Myers, Gabrielle. (2024, February). Water quality impacts of perennial groundcover in tile-drained corn production [Meeting presentation]. Iowa Nutrient Reduction Center, Focus on the Future: Students Discuss Water Quality Research, Ames, IA, United States.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Sandeen, Hallie, Haramoto, Erin, Allen, Matthew, Phillips, Fei, Shuizhang, Lira, Sara & Schlautman, Brandon. (2024, January). Perennial groundcover: evaluating Poaceae species establishment and weed suppression potential [Poster presentation]. IPSS Graduate Student Symposium, Lexington, KY, United States.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Searcy, Kiera, Haramoto, Erin, Allen, Matthew, Green, J.D., Flynn, Scott, & Schlautman, Brandon. (2024, January). Weed Management Strategies for Establishing Kentucky Bluegrass as a Perennial Cover Crop [Poster presentation]. IPSS Graduate Student Symposium, Lexington, KY, United States.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Cheguri, Prathyusha, Costa, Marina, Hintz, Roger, Galland, Patrick D., Moore, Kenneth J., Schlautman, Brandon, & Fei, Shuizhang. (2023, October 31). Interplanting Summer-Dormant Cool-Season Grasses with Maize Can Potentially Enhance Ecosystem Services with Minimal Grain Yield Reduction [Conference presentation]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO, United States. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2023am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/153572
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Olowoyeye, Oluwatuyi, S. & Kaleita, Amy. (2023, October). Investigating erosion reduction rate under the perennial groundcover (PGC) system using the Rainfall Simulation [Poster presentation]. 2023 RegenPGC Annual Meeting. Johnston, IA, United States.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Olowoyeye, Oluwatuyi. S. & Kaleita, Amy. (2023, September 20). Modeling Drought and Aridity in the Perennial Ground Cover (PGC) System [Conference presentation]. Iowa Water Conference  Navigating Extremes. Altoona, IA, United States.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Cheguri, Prathyusha. (2023, September 13). Cool-season grasses as gerennial groundcover for sustainable corn Production [Video]. Iowa Nutrient Research Center, Ames, IA, United States. https://www.cals.iastate.edu/inrc/video/focus-future-%E2%80%93-students-their-contributions-water-quality-research-september-13-2023
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Moro, Amina, Cheguri, Prathyusha, Rockson, Philip, Bilgici, Memis, Olowoyeye, Oluwatuyi, & Myers, Gabrielle. (2023, August 6-9). Can we regenerate our land and water systems using the perennial groundcover (PGC) system? An overview. [Poster presentation]. Soil and Water Conservation Society 78th SWCS International Annual Conference, Des Moines, IA, United States. https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-08-23-SWCS-Poster.pdf
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Flora, Cornelia. (2023, August 3). Barriers and facilitators in adoption of perennial cover crops: The importance of community capitals [Meeting presentation]. 85th Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society, Burlington, VT, United States.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Bartel, Cynthia A., Jacobs, Keri L., Moore, Kenneth J., & Raman, D.Raj. (2024). Anticipatory technoeconomic evaluation of Kentucky Bluegrass-based perennial groundcover implementations in large-scale Midwestern US corn production systems. Sustainability, 2024, 16(16), 7112. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16167112. Open access.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Miller-Klugesherz, Jacob, A. (2024, July 27). Community capitals & (perennial) groundcover adoption in the U.S. corn-belt: A quantitative & exploratory analysis of the interrelated health of soil, people, and communities. 86th Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society. Madison, WI, United States.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Miller-Klugesherz, Jacob, A. (2024, July 25). Cultivating community capitals and conservation agriculture among farmers, ag-adjacent persons, and community leaders in a rapidly developing Pottawatomie County, Kansas (poster), 86th Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society. Madison, WI, United States.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Bartel, Cyndi. (2024, June 13). Perennial Groundcover  Enterprise Budget & Policy. Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grants Informational Farmer Facing Meeting. ~50 attendees

Progress 09/15/22 to 09/14/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Our "Target Audiences" remain the same. Agribusiness Professionals: farmers (We interact with a dedicated "Farmer Landowner Advisory Group" that provides us with an ag producer perspective.), landowners, seed companies, miscellaneous agri-business entities, and bioenergy producers. Prospective Graduate Students: In 2022 and 2023, we recruited numerous graduate students into the project. Secondary School Education Personnel: We recruited secondary school teachers for our initial RET program. Undergraduate Students: We recruited undergraduate students for our Summer 2023 Undergraduate Research Internship "Interested Public": We hosted several presentations (field days, etc.) intended to share our perennial ground cover vision with interested members of the public. Changes/Problems:No major changes; we continue pursuing our original goals. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?TRAINING ACTIVITIES REU and RET Programs. With the assistance of the Iowa State University Office of Biotechnology, our project runs two professional development programs during the summer month. Participants in both programs met throughout the 2022-23 academic years to continue their learning experience. Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). TheREU program provides opportunities to undergraduate students interested in future careers as STEM teachers to engage in a hands-on research project with a RegenPGC mentor and their research team. In the summer of 2023, we provided opportunities for five undergraduate students. Each student was also assigned a graduate student supervisor, providing graduate students with an extra growth opportunity. Research Experience for Teachers (RET). The RET program allows middle and high school teachers to gain research experiences and form ongoing relationships with PGC scientists and graduate students. The goal is for RET participants to share their RegenPGC experiences with their students upon their return to the classroom and inspire young persons to learn more about STEM subjects. In the summer of 2023, we provided opportunities for three teachers. Graduate Student Onboarding. Each new graduate student and PostDoc (12 in PY 2) participated in a project onboarding meeting with the Project Director. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PGC Cafe. We host a PGC (Virtual) Cafe every Friday for all project participants to exchange information on an informal basis. This allows graduate students to interact with academic professionals beyond their research group. Graduate Student / PostDoc Seminars Monthly Seminar. A monthly seminar/meeting for all project graduate students and postdocs ran throughout the 202-2023 academic year. During the spring semester, the graduate learning community met weekly as part of a writing seminar. The seminar's goal was for students to learn about methods and tools for writing their literature reviews for their research projects. Graduate students/PostDocs also participated in three workshops (data collection and management). Hosted a RegenPGC Graduate Student Summit for all project graduate students and PostDocs (Ames, IA, June 2023), RegenPGC Weekly Research Meetings. The Research Theme Leader hosted a series of weekly research meetings throughout the Spring 2023 academic semester. The research meetings focused on specific field-research questions (e.g., how to best collect and process groundcover images). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We continue disseminating information using the following methods: 1. Participation in agri-business events (field days and farm shows) 2. Presentations in professional society meetings 3. Publications in academic journals 4. Collaborations with university and agri-business press aimed at sharing our Perennial Ground Cover vision in articles aimed at agricultural producers throughout the American Midwest 5. Maintain an updated project website (www.regenpgc.org) 6. Maintain a social media presence with a focus on the LinkedIn platform 6. Continue meeting with our "Farmer Landowner Advisory Group" What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Project Governance Continue meeting with the Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAB) every quarter. We will provide continuous project updates and seek SAB feedback. Engage CoPDs at the September All-CoPD meeting to focus on key learnings from the first two years and possibly present a SWOT analysis (by Theme Leaders) of the two most likely pathways-to-scale. Year 2 Annual Meeting Finish the detailed planning and lead a highly engaged and focused Year 2 Annual Meeting. The meeting goal is to promote interaction and discussion among all levels of project participants (SAB, PIs, Collaborators, and Graduate Students/PostDocs). Continue working with the Data Management team on a summary of yield-compared-to-control in PGC trials to date and update the experiment inventory. Continue monthly budget meetings with ISU Finance Delivery to monitor grant spending. Continue weekly meetings with the Deputy Director and onboarding project newcomers. Theme 1. Research & Development Plant new perennial groundcover establishment trials. Finish meta-analysis of 2022 (and earlier) perennial groundcover small-plot and on-farm research. Refine the perennial groundcover machine learning image analysis model. Explore new modeling/simulation approaches to understand the scalability of proposed management practices. Theme 2. Extension Continue outreach program with farmers and other key stakeholders Theme 3. Education Continue developing instructional modules Host the second year of the Research Experience for Teachers and the Research Experience for Undergraduates. Continue working with the first-year Research Experience for Teachers and the Research Experience for Undergraduates participants to facilitate the integration of their summer research experiences into their classrooms (each RET participant has been awarded a mini-grant of $500 to support the seamless transition of their new learning back to their educational settings). Continue collaborating with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) coordinator throughout Year 3. Continue piloting youth hands-on activities and lesson plans at youth events (est. 600 youth will be exposed to PGC vision). We will revise lesson plans based on observations. Promote lesson plans and citizen science projects through 4-H and FFA communication channels (newsletters, webinar, Youthfest conference). Continue graduate student meetings to support their research. Theme 4. Commercialization Continue interviews with on-farm cooperators. Summarize soil and plant data collected to date for growers and for 2024 and beyond planning. Continue data collection in on-farm and research trials. Obj.2 Crop Ecology & Management We will plant a second KBG field in September 2023. The field will be used for suppression trials in Spring 2025. Planned Experiments Plant other potential PGC species - Compare tall fescue varieties and perennial ryegrass to KBG Research weed control methods in KBG establishment (herbicide programs, nurse crops). Harvest corn from Year 1 experiments from plots with and without PGC. Generate a yield map. Analyze the establishment of summer dormant PGC grass (Poa bulbosa) for corn genetics evaluation. Conduct a multi-species establishment experiment with and without chemical suppression. Obj. 3 Soil Health & Nutrient Management We will continue to conduct field experiments throughout the 2024 growing season. Obj. 4. Ecosystem Services and Modeling Conduct statistical analysis and comparisons to establish differences between various treatments from the rainfall simulation experiment. Parameterize the EPIC model based on the field conditions during the edge-of-field experiment. Set up sediment transport components in the EPIC models, comparing them with data retrieved from the field rainfall simulation and the corresponding measurement in the lab. Set up an erosion pad on the field to monitor soil movement on different treatment plots. Continue a literature search for KBG experimental data. Calibrate the STICS model for sole-crop KBG. Incorporate the calibrated KBG model in intercropping corn-KBG simulation. Obj. 5. Socioeconomic Impacts & Policy Submit the Ag Decision Maker information file and decision tool for publication. Complete work on incorporating PGC costs in the cost of production model. As additional data becomes available from other objectives, prepare to calibrate our model in terms of yields based on the appropriate management practice and begin preparations to incorporate the cellulosic module into CAMS. Prepare case studies of communities where PGC is being implemented and communities where PGC is not practiced.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Project Governance We held our Year 1 Annual Face-to-Face Meeting Oct. 20-21, 2022, at Iowa State University (ISU); attendance was excellent, with a strong stakeholder advisory board and graduate student presence. Further efforts at promoting interactions between project participants have been very fruitful: PGC Café. The Research Theme Leader continued hosting weekly virtual PGC Cafés. The informal setting leads to meaningful exchanges. PGC Weekly Research Meetings. The Research Theme Leader and the PD host weekly research meetings focusing on specific field research questions. Year 2 Annual Face-to-Face Meeting. The Year 2 Annual Meeting is scheduled for October 26 and 27, 2023, at the Corteva campus in Johnston, IA. We will pilot a new format promoting interactions. Theme 1. Research and Development Created a Germinate database instance hosted on a web server for RegenPGC project data. Completed collecting and curating the 2022 on-farm data in Germinate and began building a system of functions for meta-analyses related to yield in PGC systems that can be added to throughout the remainder of the project. Hosted a spring phenotyping demonstration where students/PIs learned to use GridScore for data collection. Students collected data on spring PGC and cash-crop establishment from trials in NE, KS, and IA using the app, and created Germinate repositories for the trials. Finalized ontology terms for variables planned for the 2023 field season. Initiated a series of image analysis discussions about using image analysis for data collection in PGC trials. Built prototype systems to test the effects of lighting/shading, PGC height, and camera types on the accuracy of estimates made with images. Curated spring images were collected to monitor PGC suppression and establishment across on-farm and research station trials in KS, NE, IA, and KY. Continued improving a machine learning algorithm that recognizes weeds, PGC (grass or clover), soil, and corn. Theme 2. Extension Created a Fall 2023 Field Day Schedule with 4 events to be held in Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. The themes for the events will be: Establishing PGC & Challenges; Field Activities Timeline; Opportunities, & Cover Cropping Options Cover Crop Opportunities - what is PGC? Field Activity Timelines; Potential in Corn Silage Rotations Theme 3. Education Graduate Education Community. We created a Graduate Student Community to enhance the interdisciplinary aspects of the program amongst our 21 member cohort. Students attended a Graduate Student Summit in June 2023 at Iowa State University. Writing Seminar. We created a weekly Graduate Student Seminar designed to assist students with writing their literature reviews. FAA Curriculum. Standards & Benchmarks have been identified for the FFA curriculum. Lesson plans for hands-on activities for upper elementary, middle school, and high school FFA participants have been written, as well as a day camp curriculum. Research Experience for Undergraduates. 5 undergraduate students participated in the Summer 23 program hosted at ISU. Research Experience for Teachers. 3 teachers participated in the Summer 23 program hosted at ISU. Theme 4. Commercialization Farmer Landowner Advisory Group. Created a 26-member group to advise the project on farmer and landowner concerns with perennial cover crops. We held several meetings and received excellent feedback. Meetings will continue in Year 3. Trials Collected data at 12 on-farm trials (soil samples and biomass samples in corn and grass). Designed a grass suppression trial to fit the 2-pass spray program of typical farmers. Spray trial for KBG suppression established. Obj. 1. Crop Ecology & Management KBG was planted in all treatment plots. Developed protocols for testing pre and post-application corn herbicides for suppression and weed control. We outlined spray programs farms can use in 2023 to suppress PGC and provide weed control without thinning PGC stands. Completed an inventory of available fertilizer and crop protection chemicals and matched the chemicals with known 2023 research needs to develop an acquisition list. Began collecting data on PGC and corn characteristics per each experiment protocol Obj. 2. Plant Breeding & Genetics Our focus was on establishing field trials: Evaluation of the Agronomic Performance of 20 Poa bulbosa Experimental Lines Space Plant Evaluation Trial of USDA GRIN Accessions of Poa bulbosa and P.Trivialis Investigate natural genetic variation of summer dormancy in Poa bulbosa wild accessions obtained from USDA GRIN Genotype x Management Interactions with Experimental Hybrids Evaluation of Traits with Potential Impact on Maize Cultivation in PGC Poa secunda, a true seed-producing, summer dormant (cool-season grass with potential as a perennial groundcover) Obj. 3. Soil Health and Nutrient Management Started a greenhouse trial to identify roots using NIR and stable isotopes. Developed a plan for intensive, 2D mapping of soil and plant roots at a long-term trial near Boone, IA. Planted a PGC site in Missouri in combination with fertilizer and traditional cover crop plots. and started greenhouse gas measurements on the site. Our PostDoc has finished sieving and extracting on-farm soils from Spring 2023. Data visualization and analysis are underway. There are interesting effects of PGC on microbial biomass carbon, soil water content, and nutrients. Obj. 4. Ecosystem Services and Modeling Modeling PGC has been implemented in the EPIC model. Some parameters that should be influential seem to have no effect, and to understand this unexpected behavior, we are engaging members of the EPIC user community as well as the model development team in conversation. Completed extensive sensitivity analysis on over 100 parameters within EPIC and APSIM models regarding how they influence runoff and erosion. Set up models that represent the condition of the field at the time of the experiment to enhance comparison between output from the model and results from the edge of field experiment. Created a protocol for the process of placing the erosion pads on the plots and distributed the pads to different groups within RegenPGC. Obj. 5. Socioeconomic Impacts & Policy Quantified much of the PGC economic cost data to evaluate the economic profile of the PGC system. Begin surveying producers to identify the socioeconomic factors impacting PGC adoption. Formalize and integrate crop conservation and crop insurance policy considerations in our approach and modeling. A significant effort awaits Objective 5 in years 3-5 to incorporate PGC costs, yield impacts, and cellulosic impacts into the CARD Agricultural Modeling System (CAMS). Therefore, our CAMS expert began calibrating the CAMS model, and our team spent considerable time identifying how to integrate other objectives' outputs and findings in the models we use to understand how adoption of a PGC system impacts same and cross-commodity prices and production nationwide. Using the Community Capitals Framework, we found this in Iowa and Nebraska: Natural Capital. The use of cover crops is highly related to soil land and conditions, as well as the length of time the farmer has farmed and anticipates farming that land. Cultural Capital. Farmers whose norms and values include concern for soil and water quality are more likely to use cover crops. Human Capital. Farmer age (-) and education (+) are related to the use of cover crops and interest in perennial cover crops. Social Capital. Farmers who belong to farmers' organizations that stress ecosystem health are more likely to use cover crops than those who belong to mainstream farmers' organizations. Political Capital. Farmers who use cover crops are more likely to urge policies that reward their use. Financial Capital. Farmers who own the cropland they farm are more likely to use cover crops than farmers with year-to-year leases.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Bartel, Cynthia A., Kenneth J. Moore, Shuizhang Fei, Andrew W. Lenssen, Roger L. Hintz & Samantha M. Kling. 2022. Evaluating chemical suppression treatments to alter the red:far-red ratio in perennial groundcovers for maize production. Agronomy, 12, 1854. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12081854. OPEN ACCESS
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kimmelshue, Chad, A. S. Goggi & K. Moore. 2022. Single plant grain yield in corn (Zea mays L.) based on emergence date, seed size, sowing depth, and plant to plant distance. Crops 2, 6286. https://doi.org/10.3390/crops2010006
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Bartel, Cynthia A., Kenneth J. Moore, Shuizhang Fei, Andrew Lenssen, Roger L. Hintz & Samantha M. Kling. 2022. Evaluating strip and no-till maintenance of perennial groundcovers for annual grain production. Crops, 2, 268-287; [Evaluating Strip and No-Till Maintenance of Perennial Groundcovers for Annual Grain Production]. https://doi.org/10.3390/crops2030020. OPEN ACCESS
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Schlautman, Brandon. Perennial row-cropping systems: Minimizing the productivity vs. conservation tradeoffs in row-crop agriculture. Corteva New Frontiers Conference, Johnson, IA, Oct. 11, 2022.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Galland, Patrick. 2022. The effects of perennial groundcover on soil-water and nutrient dynamics in maize intercropping systems. Masters thesis. Iowa State University, 2022. https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/entities/publication/5a7b6c8a-8608-4435-83bb-35d899600a3d
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kimmelshue, Chad L., Susana Goggi & Kenneth J. Moore. 2022. Seed Size, Planting Depth, and a Perennial Groundcover System Effect on Corn Emergence and Grain Yield. Agronomy 12, no. 2: 437. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020437. OPEN ACCESS
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Schlautman, Brandon. Perennial row-cropping systems: innovation for soil conservation, water management, and the sustainable intensification of agriculture. Nebraska Environmental Health Association Annual Conference, Ashland, NE, Oct. 19, 2022.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Bartel, Cynthia A., Moore, Kenneth J., Shuizhang Fei, Andrew W. Lenssen, Roger L. Hintz & Samantha M. Kling. Evaluating chemical suppression treatments to alter the red:far-red ratio in perennial groundcovers for maize production. (Oral Presentation). Amer. Soc. of Agronomy, Crop Sci. Soc. of America, and Soil Sci. Soc. of America Annual Meeting, Land Management and Conservation: Cover Crop Management, Baltimore, MD, Nov. 2022.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Olowoyeye, Oluwatuyi, S., Amy Kaleita, D.Raj Raman & Rob Anex. 2023. Soil Erosion Research under a Changing Climate Symposium. (Graduate Student Poster Presentation). A Specialty Conference of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. ASABE Symposium Abstract # 23528. Mayag�ez, Puerto Rico, Jan. 11, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13031/soil.23528.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Olowoyeye, Oluwatuyi. S. & Amy Kaleita. 2023. Towards Modeling a Perennial Ground Cover Cropping System. Oral Presentation, American Society of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Annual International Meeting. July 12, 2023, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Bartel, Cynthia A., Kenneth J. Moore, Shuizhang Fei, Andrew W. Lenssen, Roger L. Hintz & Samantha M. Kling. Evaluating strip and no-till maintenance of perennial groundcovers for annual maize grain production. (Poster). Amer. Soc. of Agronomy, Crop Sci. Soc. of America, and Soil Sci. Soc. of America Annual Meeting, Land Management and Conservation: Cover Crop Management, Baltimore, MD, Nov. 2022.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Fei, Shuizhang. (May 2023). Summer-Dormant Cool-Season Grasses as Perennial Groundcover for Maize Production. Iowa Nutrient Research Center Symposium, May 2023.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Rockson, Philip E., Daniel S. Andersen, Mark A. Licht, & D.Raj Raman. 2023. Field Operations Visualizer (FOV) Development. (Poster). American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting, Omaha, NE. July 9-12, 2023.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Schlautman, Brandon. Perennial row-crop systems: harvestable grain and saleable forage in the same field. American British White Cattle Association Annual Meeting, Dillon, MT, Sep. 23, 2022.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Olowoyeye, Oluwatuyi, Amy Kaleita, D.Raj Raman, & Robert Anex. Modeling Soil Erosion in a Perennial Ground Cover (PGC) System. Poster presented at the Iowa Water Conference, Dubuque, IA, Sep. 2022.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: McDaniel, Marshall. 2022. Alternatives to Combat Increased Fertilizer Costs. (Panel). Iowa Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. Des Moines, IA, Dec. 6, 2022.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Bartel, Cynthia A., Keri L. Jacobs, Amani Elobeid, D. Raj Raman, Kenneth J. Moore & Cornelia B. Flora. Anticipatory enterprise budgets for perennial groundcover (PGC) corn systems based on machinery ownership or custom rates in the upper midwestern USA. Prepared for Journal of Agribusiness.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Dutter, Cole, Luis A. Damiano, Jarad Niemi, Bradley A. Miller, Lisa A. Schulte Moore, Matt Liebmann, Matthew J. Helmers, Rick M. Cruse & Marshall D. McDaniel. (2023). Contour prairie strips affect adjacent soil but have only slight effects on crops. Field Crops Research, 296, May. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2023.108905.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Bartel, Cynthia A., Keri L. Jacobs, Amani Elobeid, D. Raj Raman & Kenneth J. Moore (202_). Anticipatory enterprise budgets for perennial groundcover (PGC) corn systems in the upper midwestern USA. Prepared for Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy.

Progress 09/15/21 to 09/14/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Our first-year target audiences included: Agribusiness Professionals: farmers, land-owners, seed companies, miscellaneous Agri-business entities Prospective Graduate Students: We recruited several new graduate students for the project Secondary School Education Personnel: We recruited some secondary school teachers for our initial RET program The "Interested Public": We hosted several presentations intended to provide information about the PGC vision to the public. These events were primarily in Iowa but had attendees significantly beyond. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Our Education Objective placed two ISU undergraduate, pre-service STEM teacher candidates in an 8-week summer research experience in two RegenPGC Kabs (Fei and Raman). One high school teacher from Johnston, IA High School, joined CoPD Sara Lira at Corteva Agriscience and designed his summer research exploring the pest and beneficial insect populations in PGC and conventional corn cropping systems. Our Commercialization Theme group established 12 on-farm trials and built relationships with producers. The team has also created a "Farmer Landowner Advisory Group" (FLAG). The 21 members include agricultural producers and working agronomists. We both disseminate information to and receive information from the group members. We held field days in Ames, IA; Hudson, IA; Hampton, NE;Nashua, IA; and York, NE. We conducted PGC demonstrations for producers at the 2022 Farm Progress Show (Boone, IA). We have recruited 2 post-docs and 11 graduate students to work on the project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have disseminated information using the following methods: Participation in agri-business events (field days and farm shows) Presentations in professional meetings Published in academic journals Collaborated with the agri-business press in articles aimed at agricultural producers throughout the American Midwest Created a project website (www.regenpgc.org) Our Commercialization team has also created a "Farmer Landowner Advisory Group" (FLAG) whose 21 members are key to disseminating information to interested producers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Project Management Continue regular meetings with CoPds to help create bridges across objectives. Continue to participate in and otherwise support field days. Continue monthly onboarding for new project personnel. Run a successful Year 1 Annual Meeting. Theme 1. Research and Development We will choose and build out an appropriate data storage and sharing infrastructure. We will hold meetings to discuss the developing PGC ontology and strategize for 2023 field data collection. We will work with the Objective leads to curate new planned trials and data types that will be collected in 2023 trials in our Airtable project relational database. We will connect trials to the ongoing PGC taxonomy development. We will plant new multi-location on-farm trials that can be used to ask and answer questions across the five objective areas. Theme 2. Extension We will develop a robust field day calendar and marketing plan. Our focus will be field days that deliver in-field crop-specific hands-on field experiences explaining the PGC system at its Project Year 2 development stage. Develop and deliver winter 2023 workshops and farmer meetings explaining the PGC system at its Project Year 2 development stage. Continue to develop and make available additional online educational modules explaining the PGC system at its Project Year 2 development stage. We will develop a perennial ground cover module for a Crop Advantage series in Iowa. Develop a draft protocol for demonstrating no-till planting row units and what will be measured to help ensure success and encourage project collaboration. Publish an on-farm trial guide. Host a virtual field day in the spring showing soil temperature and soil moisture in control vs. perennial ground cover strips. Theme 3. Education We will continue developing instructional materials. We will attend field days where the project, or other similar projects, is discussed with farmers and other interested parties. We will attend a "Partners in Science National Conference" in California in January 2023. We will initiate an undergraduate internship program focused on in-semester students at RegenPGC institutions. Graduate Student Community. Students will participate in a monthly seminar during the academic year (September-December, and January-April). Three primary activities will support the Graduate Student Community: 1) a graduate student summit, 2) planned activities at the annual project meeting, and 3) a monthly seminar held during the academic year. FFA and 4H Programs. Programs for K-12 students will be implemented in Project Year 2. Theme 4. Commercialization We will establish eight more on-farm trials and continue building relationships with producers. We will begin research into grass management strategies in no-till systems. We will collect data for ecosystem services measurements. We will develop a research plan for understanding fertilization and water management in PGC systems. We will identify N2O emissions measures. We will build content in the FLAG group and develop a plan to connect the Socioeconomic Impacts Objective to producers. We will work with the Ecosystem Services & Modeling Objective to understand carbon credit requirements and the potential for N2O credits. We will meet with John Deere to develop an equipment strategy Obj. 1. Crop Ecology and Management We will establish experiments that will include trials in Iowa designed to study shade avoidance response mechanisms. In Kentucky and Missouri, established trials will be used to assess different herbicides and adjuvants for chemical PGC suppression in the spring. In Kentucky, corn will be chopped for silage in early September 2022. Kentucky bluegrass (KBG) will be planted in all plots. Data collection for the residual herbicide experiment will include: KBG Emergence Ground cover Biomass before first frost with samples separated into KBG and weeds In Missouri: Kentucky Bluegrass will be reseeded in thin areas for 2023 field trials Weed control applied if necessary In Iowa: Kentucky bluegrass will be established for 2023 field trials Weed control will be applied if necessary. Data collection on tillage x PGC x hybrid x N rate trial Obj. 2. Plant Breeding and Genetics Conduct a Genome-wide Association Study (GWAS) of Seed and Seedling Traits Relevant for Maize in PGC Evaluate Significance and Mechanisms for GxM Interactions Obj. 3. Soil Health and Nutrient Management We will conduct field experiments throughout the 2023 growing season. We will continue a new PGC trial near the University of Missouri, Columbia, comparing 'traditional cover crops' and PGC with varying N fertilizer rates. We will conduct intensive sampling of the long-term PGC trial. Obj. 4. Ecosystem Services and Modeling We will select a final model for runoff and soil loss simulations and begin to build more robust model setups for evaluating the PGC system against existing or alternative management scenarios. To support this modeling effort, we also plan to carry out a small field experiment to do rainfall simulations on the study plots at Nashua, IA, to generate some observed event-based data on runoff and soil loss. Those data will help to cross-check the model simulations. We will also begin to investigate the suitability of the Agro-Ibis model, particularly for its potential to simulate additional ecosystem services. Obj. 5. Socioeconomic Impacts and Policy We will submit an enterprise-budget-based analysis of the PGC System and its policy-relevant factors. Bartel et al. will present the findings from the enterprise budget at three field days. Running sensitivity analyses to check robustness. We will continue gathering data on farmer interest in and resistance to PGC implementation.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Theme 1. Research and Development We formed a Data Management Team, which includes a leader from the five research objectives and four cross-cutting themes. Data Management Team members have held discussions with Breedbase, Germinate, and the Breeding Insights teams about setting up a data instance for RegenPGC. We have hired a full-time RegenPGC data manager. We initiated crop ontology discussions with the Data Management Team. We now have a strategy for accumulating terms into a RegenPGC ontology (data dictionary), ensuring uniform collection within and among Objectives. We have finalized a RegenPGC project list and ontology for the Breeding & Genetics Objective's data/trials and drafted versions for several other objectives. We met with developers from multiple databases for project data storage (Breedbase, Germinate, BIMS, Breeding Insight, Genovix, and Medius), and we are documenting information on the pros/cons of each product. We hosted meetings with Objectives 1-4 regarding current and upcoming RegenPGC small-plot and on-farm trials. We established on-farm trials in IL, IA, KS, and NE. These will answer research questions across multiple objectives. Theme 2. Extension In Year 1, we focused on introducing the PGC concept to Iowa and Nebraska producers through field days. We held a fall field day at Nashua, IA (May 23, 2022) with local farmers (42 attendees), where we toured the perennial groundcover crops, followed by discussions on RegenPGC implementation opportunities and challenges. We collaborated with project partner Corteva to sponsor a field day (May 26, 2022) in York, NE. We participated in the 2022 Farm Progress Show (Boone, IA), demonstrating PGC concepts and discussing soil health with more than 1000 visitors. We worked on developing five extension publications for soil health and on-farm measurements to support farmers in exploring if the PGC approach is improving their soil. Theme 3. Education Instructional Development. We developed and trialed two learning modules: Conceptualizing a Perennial Groundcover System and Shade Avoidance in Perennial Groundcover Systems. These modules are being shared with subject matter experts for additional editing and will be available to all co-PDs and collaborators. Undergraduate REU Program. We developed and conducted our first undergraduate REU program. Two Iowa State University, undergraduate pre-service STEM teacher candidates completed the 8-week summer research experience in project labs (Dr. Raj Raman and Dr. Shuizhang Fei). The students presented research posters at an on-campus poster session and in a final (virtual) presentation. 2022 was a pilot year, and the feedback from post-program surveys and focus group sessions indicates a high success rate for these two teacher candidates. RET Program. A high school teacher (Johnston, IA) joined Dr. Sara Lira at Corteva Agriscience and designed a summer research project exploring the pest and beneficial insect populations in PGC and conventional corn cropping systems. This teacher presented a research poster during an on-campus poster session and a final (virtual) presentation. This teacher has plans to bring Dr. Lira into his classroom this fall and introduce his students to the RegenPGC research conducted at Corteva's Johnston field and laboratory sites. This teacher will also receive a mini-grant to support bringing this research experience back to his classroom. He will have the opportunity to stay connected with the cohort through face-to-face meetings, gatherings, and bi-weekly meetings. Theme 4. Commercialization We established 12 on-farm trials and built relationships with producers. We developed a research strategy for PGC species production/economics. We recruited participants for our FLAG (Farmer/Landowner Advisory Group) group. Obj. 1. Crop Ecology and Management All sites attempted to establish PGC plantings in the Fall of 2021 for use in preliminary experiments. Some of these were more successful than others. In Kentucky, late planting combined with a dry fall and unusual swings in winter temperature led to widespread PGC mortality. PGC survival was also patchy in Missouri. Despite poor PGC survival, Kentucky resurrected an old strip tiller and gained valuable experience with this equipment. We also designed and implemented a new experiment to assess how soil residual herbicides applied at corn planting affect fall PGC establishment. Plots were successfully established in Iowa for a tillage x fertilizer x hybrid study, and demonstrations were established at the Farm Progress Show. Obj. 2. Plant Breeding and Genetics Conducted a field trial evaluating the compatibility of 9 Kentucky bluegrass cultivars or cultivar blends and a Poa bulbosa cultivar. Established a trial evaluating the compatibility of 9 species or species mixture of warm-season plants, including some native species in Ames, Iowa. Twenty plants for each of the 75 USDA GRIN accessions for Poa bulbosa and 42 accessions for Poa trivialis have been established in the greenhouse. A Ph.D. student will join our project at Iowa State University beginning in August 2022. The student will work on evaluating genetic variation and diversity in Poa bulbosa. A Master's student is working on evaluating the compatibility of Kentucky bluegrass and Poa bulbosa with maize. Conducted a genome-wide association study of seed and seedling traits relevant to Maize in PGC. Evaluated the significance and mechanisms for GxM interactions. Obj. 3. Soil Health and Nutrient Management We designed an on-farm and research trial looking at the effect of PGC on soils and crops across three states for Year 2. We started a PGC trial in Nashua, IA. We initiated a long-term PGC trial with Poa bulbosa and Kentucky bluegrass near Boone, IA. We started a greenhouse experiment exploring root identification. Obj. 4. Ecosystem Services and Modeling After reviewing the existing literature and talking to experts in the field, we identified a list of models that could be used to simulate the effect of perennial ground cover integrated with corn on runoff and soil loss. We then investigated each candidate model in greater detail, eliminating from further consideration models incapable of simulating two simultaneous vegetation types on the same ground or where forcing the model to do such simulation might be possible but potentially intractable. By process of elimination, we identified three candidate models for further exploration: EPIC, APSIM, and Agro-Ibis. Beginning with EPIC and APSIM, we then began building models of the PGC system and, using preliminary input data (loosely based on the field site at Nashua) and several decades of actual local weather data from the Nashua site as inputs, successfully ran simulations of the PGC system, as well as continuous corn in conventional management, and corn with a cover crop. These preliminary simulations will permit us to evaluate model behavior under a range of conditions and determine the suitability of each for developing a more detailed simulation. Obj. 5. Socioeconomic Impacts and Policy We collected data on the location and services of MO's retail cooperatives serving farmers. Team members disseminated PGC-related findings at two events during Q1 and Q2 for outreach and education on the PGC system to farmer and stakeholder audiences. We revised a draft enterprise budget for PGC systems and conventional corn to include 2020, 2021, and 2022 costs of production. Our team published two papers on field studies which also contributed to the systems knowledge for our enterprise budget. Dr. Cornelia Flora and James Melich (Graduate student) conducted an extensive literature review and found a series of farmers' capital attributes related to adopting conservation practices.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Bartel, Cynthia A., Kenneth J. Moore, Shui-zhang Fei, Andrew W. Lenssen, Roger L. Hintz, and Samantha M. Kling. 2022. "Evaluating Strip and No-Till Maintenance of Perennial Groundcovers for Annual Grain Production" Crops 2, no. 3: 268-286. https://doi.org/10.3390/crops2030020. OPEN ACCESS
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Bartel, Cynthia A., Kenneth J. Moore, Shui-zhang Fei, Andrew W. Lenssen, Roger L. Hintz, and Samantha M. Kling. 2022. "Evaluating Chemical Suppression Treatments to Alter the Red: Far-Red Ratio in Perennial Groundcovers for Maize Production" Agronomy 12, no. 8: 1854. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12081854. OPEN ACCESS