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2008 ANNUAL REPORT

NATIONAL PROGRAM ­ 216 

AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM COMPETITIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY

As the world population continues to grow, water resources become scarce, and energy use 

climbs, even greater demands will be placed on agricultural producers to provide dependable 

supplies of products for consumers from a shrinking earth resource base. American farms

generate more than $200 billion in goods and services on 442 million acres. Profitable farms are 

the basis of vibrant rural economies. Consumers benefit from agricultural production that 

provides an abundant choice of safe products at relatively low costs. However, many farms have 

suffered from commodity prices that have, until recently, remained relatively unchanged for

decades, while the costs of fuel and other purchased inputs continue to rise. In addition, much of

agricultural production happens in a global market, so there is increasing competition from 

overseas where production costs are comparatively low. Also, continued advancement of

conservation goals is needed to enhance the natural resource base upon which the nation not only 

depends for food, feed, fiber, and renewable energy, but also for abundant and high quality 

supplies of fresh water, clean air, and healthy ecosystems. The challenges producers face 

regarding productivity, profitability, and natural resource stewardship across the country are 

complex, so solutions to these challenges are equally complex. The USDA­ARS projects contributing to the Agricultural System Competitiveness and 

Sustainability National Program (NP 216) use an interdisciplinary systems research approach to 

bring together the diverse expertise needed to understand how different kinds and sizes of farms

function, and how changing or introducing new technology will affect their economic and 

environmental sustainability. Whether the ARS scientist teams and their university and industry 

cooperators are in the Pacific Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Midwest, Southeast, or New

England, they use their collective talent to find the best place­specific combinations of practices

to help producers achieve their production goals. The Agricultural System Competitiveness and Sustainability National Program contributes to 

USDA­ARS Strategic Plan Goal 2: Enhance the Competitiveness and Sustainability of Rural and 

Farm Economies, Objective 2.1: Expand domestic market opportunities, and Objective 2.2: 

Increase the efficiency of domestic agricultural production and marketing systems; and Strategic 

Plan Goal 6: Protect and Enhance the Nation’s Natural Resource Base and Environment.

Agronomic Crop Production Systems

The Agronomic Crop Production Systems component addresses challenges in agricultural 

systems dominated by the commodities including corn, soybean, cotton, peanut, cereal grains, and turf and herbage seed crops. The value of U.S. crop output in 2002 was 2.6 times higher than 

that in 1948, while the inputs required to achieve this output have declined. However, the 

profitability of many farms producing major commodity crops is declining because of escalating 

costs of energy, fertilizers, and other purchased inputs. Loss of crop rotation diversity in 

production systems has also resulted in emergent herbicide resistant weed problems, particularly 

in the southeastern region. Research is needed to develop production strategies and technologies

that increase productivity and reduce production costs and risks of economic loss, all while 

maintaining or even enhancing natural resource quality.
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In addition, the United States has embarked on an ambitious program to replace a significant 

portion of petroleum­based transportation fuels with bio­based fuels from agricultural sources. Producers, government agencies, energy companies, and policy makers need to know how best 

to produce biomass and dedicated energy crops in different agricultural regions of the country, and what the likely impacts would be of an expanding bio­economy on whole­farm economic 

return and natural resource quality. A new generation of production systems and technologies is

needed to sustainably produce feedstocks to support emerging bioeconomies in ways that do not 

disrupt the integrity of existing farms and markets or degrade the quality of natural resources.

Accomplishments

Irrigation Management System Software Improves Water Conservation, Pest Control, and

Profitability. Southeastern U.S. row crop growers depend on several factors to stay in business: 

proper irrigation methods, good crop rotations, and effective marketing to secure the best price

for their product. Years of drought and increasing urban usage of water resources are forcing 

most southeastern farmers to determine whether irrigation pays and which crops to produce.

Irrigator Pro, an irrigation manager developed by ARS researchers at Dawson, Georgia for

cotton and corn, were released as part of a collection of software called FarmSuite update 5.0.

This management system, updated with new data, allows peanut, cotton and corn growers to use 

volumes of research data and grower experience to make daily decisions about their production, harvesting and marketing. This software program has been extensively validated with long­term 

controlled research studies, as well as commercial trials with cooperating farmers. Use of this

software will help farmers reduce water consumption by their crops, reduce pesticide 

applications, and increase the yield and profitability of corn, cotton, and peanut crops. Adoption 

of the software by producers and crop consultants in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama has

exceeded expectations.

Imported Conservation Tillage System Increases Yield and Reduces Herbicide Costs. Alternative weed control systems are needed to improve the efficiency of herbicide use and 

increase profitability in peanut production. ARS scientists at Watkinsville, GA and Auburn, AL

in cooperation with Auburn University evaluated the weed control value of three winter cereal 

cover crops in a Brazilian­modeled high­residue conservation tillage system. Black oat, cereal 

rye, and wheat were evaluated for weed suppressive characteristics compared to a traditional 

winter­fallow system using three weed suppressive systems: no herbicide, low­input system, and 

a high­input system. The no cover crop system was effective in controlling weeds without an 

herbicide program, however when black oat or cereal rye was used with the low­input herbicide 

system, weed control was similar to the high­input system. Cereal rye and black oat provided 

more effective weed control than wheat in a conservation­tillage system. Yields were improved 

using the Brazilian cover crop management system compared to the winter­fallow system which 

yielded 7­26% less peanut. The Brazilian system using black oat or cereal rye cover crops has

the potential to increase peanut productivity and reduce herbicide inputs for peanuts grown in the 

Southeast U.S. Cover crops further benefit conservation tillage systems by providing crop 

residues to increase soil organic matter and help control weeds, improving soil structure and 

increasing infiltration, protecting the soil surface, and dissipating raindrop energy and thus

reducing the velocity of water that moves over the soil surface, and anchoring soil with roots.
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Genetic Differences Identified for Mineral Accumulation in Straw Bioenergy Feedstocks. Switchgrass is a warm­season perennial grass with great potential as a U.S. energy crop. It is

widely adapted to many regions of the U.S., produces large amounts of biomass, and serves as a 

useful forage grass. Potential conversion technologies to turn this grass to energy include 

fermentation, which is similar to that used for corn­to­ethanol, or thermochemical technologies

including pyrolysis and gasification. The mineral composition of switchgrass varieties is

important because certain elements like silica, potassium, and chlorine react with the metal in 

thermochemical reactors to form corrosive compounds and slag, which reduce the lifetime of the 

reactor. ARS scientists in Corvallis, Oregon in cooperation with ARS geneticists at Lincoln, Nebraska and Madison, Wisconsin determined the mineral composition of six different 

populations of switchgrass grown at five different locations to evaluate the potential for breeding 

new populations that are more suitable for thermochemical conversion. They found that mineral 

accumulation varied between selections and was dependent upon the location at which the grass

was grown, thus suggesting factors such as conservation practices and biophysical conditions

during production may affect mineral accumulation. This important new knowledge enabled the 

selection of appropriate genetic strains of switchgrass by breeding programs to develop improved 

traits that enhance switchgrass as a bioenergy feedstock in thermochemical conversion processes.

Improved Sustainability through Crop Diversification, Reduced Fallow, and Decreased 

Inputs. Water availability, depleted soil quality, and weed competition are major constraints to 

dryland crop production in the northern Great Plains region. The use of crop production systems

that integrate alternative crop selection options and rotational combinations increases the 

diversity of farm enterprises and biological diversity of soils. ARS scientists in Sidney, Montana 

have developed a diversified dryland production system that utilizes spring wheat grown every 

third or fourth year. Wheat produced in this diversified system has greater yields and higher 

quality grain compared to conventional spring wheat systems that grow wheat continuously or

every other year. When this kind of ecological management is combined with zero­tillage

planting, the influence of weeds on yield of spring wheat, field pea, and forage barley is greatly 

reduced, compared to conventional management and preplant tillage systems. Early planting of

herbicide­free forage barley can prevent all weed seed production. Fall­seeded, zero­till winter 

wheat and triticale produced without an herbicide application during the growing season 

provides high yields of nutritious forage without seed production. Land rolling following 

preplant tillage increases the emergence of small­seeded broadleaf annual weeds in annual pulse 

and forage crops, thus providing opportunities to increase weed seed bank depletion. These new 

management practices used in combined systems have reduced herbicide use, thus saving 

Montana producers about $2,500,000 per year on approximately 95% of the awnless forage

barley, and zero­till continuous cropping practice acreage. Management Can Influence CO2 Emissions and Carbon Sequestration in Northern Great 

Plains Soils. Climate change due to increased concentration of greenhouse gases such as CO2 in 

the atmosphere is a major concern. It has been estimated that agricultural practices contribute 

about 25% of total man­caused CO2 emissions. Soil can act both as source or sink for

atmospheric CO2. ARS scientists in Sidney, Montana examined the effects of combinations of

irrigation, tillage, cropping systems, and N fertilization practices on soil CO2 flux, temperature, 

water, and soil carbon content at two sites in the northern Great Plains region. The research 

revealed that irrigation increased carbon dioxide emissions by 13% compared with nonirrigation, by increasing soil water content during otherwise dry periods. Tillage increased 

emissions by 62 to 118%, compared with no­tillage. Carbon dioxide emissions were 1.5 to 2.5­
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fold greater with tilled than with non­tilled treatments following heavy rain or irrigation, and 1.5 

to 2.0­fold greater with crops grown in sequence after one another, than with fallow following 

substantial rain. Nitrogen fertilization increased CO2 emission by 14% compared with no 

nitrogen input, and cropping increased emissions by 79% compared with fallow without tillage

or nitrogen fertilization. Soil carbon storage was not influenced by the different treatments. It 

was concluded that although soil carbon storage was not altered, management practices

influenced carbon dioxide emission within a short period due to changes in soil temperature,

water content, and applied nitrogen levels. Regardless of irrigation, carbon dioxide emission can 

be reduced from croplands to a level similar to that in grassland using no­tilled crops, whether N 

fertilization is used. This information can be used to help develop cropping system strategies that 

reduce CO2 emissions from agriculture in the northern Great Plains region. Self­Seeding Varieties Lower Winter Cover Crop Establishment Costs. Winter cover crops

cover the soil between crop harvest and planting of summer annual grain crops the next year. Cover crops also perform important ecological services that include reducing soil erosion and 

nitrogen leaching, providing weed and pest suppression, and increasing soil organic matter.

However, the adoption of cover crops into existing production systems has been limited. ARS 

scientists in Ames, Iowa used winter cereal rye, wheat, and triticale have developed a dependable 

way to allow winter cover crops to self­seed in a soybean­corn rotation system, and winter cereal 

rye grown alone in a corn silage­soybean rotation. All small grain species studied self­seeded 

when growing concurrently with soybean, but the soybean yield was lowered. Winter cereal rye 

planted after corn silage harvest produced substantial biomass, had no impact on soybean yield,

and had minimal potential increased risk to corn silage yields. The results of these studies show 

that self­seeding winter cover crops do not require excessive seed production and thus may 

increase their adoption by growers if efficient seed dispersal technologies are developed so 

minimal purchased cover crop seed is required. Lower establishment costs may encourage

conventional growers to use winter cover crops and experience the resulting environmental 

benefits in their fields. Coordinated Research to Address Roundup­resistant Palmer Amaranth Pigweed in 

Southeast Cotton Production. A coordinated research effort was begun to address the 

challenges cotton growers face from Roundup­resistant pigweed on the Coastal Plains region of

the southeastern United States. ARS researchers at Auburn, Alabama, Dawson, Georgia, and 

Tifton, Georgia in cooperation with the University of Georgia, Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University, University of Tennessee, University of Arkansas, and Cotton 

Incorporated have demonstrated that Palmer Amaranth populations in cotton fields can be 

substantially reduced by using a combination of conservation tillage when cereal rye is grown as

a winter cover crop. Conservation tillage is an important management tool across the 

southeastern U.S. to help prevent erosion, maintain soil organic matter levels that maintain crop 

productivity, conserve soil moisture, and reduce the amount of fuel required to produce crops. The inclusion of the winter cover crop makes the use of conservation tillage possible. This

approach to pigweed management is also being applied to peanut production where 

acetolactatesynthase­resistant pigweed is also a problem. In addition, ARS researchers at Tifton, Georgia are cooperating with the University of Georgia to study the biology of pigweed. One 

pigweed plant can produce more than 600,000 seeds. By learning more about the reproduction of

pigweed, and how it disperses its seeds across farm fields, other management strategies can be 

developed to effectively control this pest. A Conservation Innovation Grant proposal is being 

prepared for submission to USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to facilitate
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demonstration of feasible technologies and conservation systems that control herbicide resistant 

weeds on farms across the region. ARS and ERS Modeling Partnership for Sustainable Biofuel Feedstock Production. A joint 

partnership was formed among ARS scientists at Mandan, North Dakota, Corvallis, Oregon and 

Dawson, Georgia in cooperation with the USDA­Economic Research Service to integrate USDA 

Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Mission Area biophysical and economics models to 

estimate the amounts of feedstocks available at the farm level that could be used for bioenergy 

production. The purpose for the joint research project is to provide multiple­scale assessments of

different agricultural production systems strategies incorporating biofuel feedstock production on 

natural resources quality, national commodity prices, and farm income. A short­term application 

of this project is using ARS long­term cropping system rotation research results in the EPIC

model to project the impacts of different production systems across the Minnesota River 

watershed. These results are then used in PGA­BIOECON to determine the impacts of different 

production options on natural resources quality at the watershed­scale. These results will then be 

passed to USDA­ERS for analysis with their REAP model, and prices fed back down to the 

farm­scale for refining production options using the ARS WholeFarm model. This research is

providing the first quantitative framework to determine how to sustainably incorporate biofuels

production into existing agricultural systems in ways that do not disrupt food, feed, and fiber 

markets. Small­scale Biofuel Production to Reduce On­farm Energy Costs. The cost and impacts of

using petroleum­based fuels has triggered considerable interest in the development of

sustainable, on­farm biodiesel production systems. Construction of a new peanut oil biodiesel 

refinery in Dawson, Georgia has been completed, and more than 500 stakeholders have already 

visited the new facility. ARS scientists designed the refinery and are conducting research to find 

optimal whole­farm systems for producing and utilizing high­oil content peanuts that can be 

produced for 70% lower costs than peanuts for edible consumption. The refinery will be used to 

conduct throughput studies to address the economic feasibility of on­farm peanut biodiesel 

refinement. A similar integrated research approach is being established at Akron, Colorado to 

utilize oil seed crops adapted to farms in the central Great Plains region. These studies aim to 

reduce the costs of biofuel production on the farm, which could help farmers turn peanuts into 

fuel to run their own farm machinery and meet growing demand in an environmentally and 

economically responsible way.

Specialty Crop and Organic Production Systems

The Specialty Crop and Organic Production Systems component is focused on solving problems

related to the production of high­value specialty crop and value­added organic agricultural 

products. The value of U.S. specialty crops is greater than the combined value of corn, soybean, wheat, cotton, and rice crops. At the same time, organic production now captures more than 3%

of the U.S. food market, and is growing at a rate of 10% annually. The production of high­value 

specialty and organic crops often requires cost­intensive practices to achieve profitable 

production levels of products that must be of sufficient quality to meet high market and 

consumer preference standards. Producers wishing to produce high­value specialty and organic 

crops may face significant barriers to the development and marketing of new products grown in 

their region. Alternative management strategies are needed that utilize an understanding of the
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agro­ecological and biophysical processes innate to plants, soils, invertebrates, and microbes that 

naturally regulate pest problems and soil fertility, to reduce or replace reliance on the use of

synthetic pesticide and fertilizer production inputs. Also, an understanding of marketing supply 

chains from field­to­table must be considered and integrated with production, handling, and 

processing information to increase the portion of product value received by producers.

Accomplishments

Reducing Weed Control Costs to Organic Vegetable Producers. Hand labor for weed 

management in high­value organic vegetable crops can cost up to $1,500 per acre. ARS scientists

in Salinas, California and cooperators conducted on­farm research to evaluate the effectiveness

and costs of six organic weed management tools to prepare stale seed beds in high­density 

vegetable production. These techniques included organic herbicides, propane flamers, and 

various cultivation tools. Most techniques controlled more than 70% of the weeds for less than 

$230 per acre. However, an organic herbicide that is widely marketed was found to be 

ineffective and cost $1,557 per acre to use. These findings identified effective methods to help 

organic producers minimize the need for hand weeding of high­value vegetable crops grown in 

the California Central Coastal Region. Byproduct from Biodiesel Production Inhibits Weeds and Reduces Weeding Costs. Weed 

control is a major production cost for organic growers, ranging from $500 to $2,000 per acre. 

Organic growers can now take advantage of a low­cost biodiesel byproduct. Seed meal is a co­ product remaining after pressing mustard seed to remove the oil. Seed meals are high in 

glucosinolates, compounds that inhibit weed germination and establishment. Mustard seed meal 

efficacy to suppress weeds by was tested by ARS scientists in Prosser, Washington in organic 

onion and peppermint fields at specific crop growth stages. The mustard seed meal was effective 

in controlling annual weeds for about three weeks after planting without significant injury to 

either crop. Application of mustard seed meal is a more cost­effective form of weed control than 

hand weeding, and suppresses weeds that would otherwise lower the value of peppermint and 

onion sent to market. Synthetic Barrier Controls Weeds, Improves Water Management and Yields in 

Blackberries. By improving yield while reducing labor for weed control, synthetic weed control 

barriers are a promising management tool in blackberry production. Weeds are a challenge to 

control in brambles, particularly when organic methods are employed. ARS investigators at the 

Weslaco, Texas found that several synthetic barriers used in newly planted blackberries

improved plant vigor, yield, and berry soluble solids, and at the same time greatly reduced hand 

weeding labor time compared to no weed barrier used. The crop response to the barrier was due 

to soil temperature fluctuations at the four­inch soil depth were moderated, providing more 

consistent temperatures through out a 24­hour period. Soil moisture differences to the eight­inch 

depth were confounded by the improved plant development where the barriers were used. After 

two harvest seasons in 2007 and 2008, white plastic improved yield compared to all other 

treatments. In a study started in 2008, an EPA approved organic herbicide showed promise for

post­emergence weed control in blackberries, but when compared with white plastic weed 

barriers, did not improve establishment growth as seen with the synthetic barriers.
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Reducing Weed Pressure and Increasing Mid­Atlantic Organic Cereal Crop Yields. ARS 

scientists in Beltsville, Maryland and cooperators showed that the numbers of weed seeds in the 

soil in spring are often correlated with weed cover percentage at maturity the same year,

demonstrating that diverse rotations can reduce weed seed numbers in the soil bank and can lead 

to improved weed control. During favorable years, corn yield losses due to weeds were less than 

5% in the longest organic rotation, a level similar to that achieved using herbicides in 

conventional no­till and chisel­till systems. This indicates that with good management, longer 

organic crop rotations can adequately control weeds, and that this strategy should be of value to 

conventional producers to reduce the amounts of herbicides that are required for their conditions. These results will be of great benefit to growers considering economical ways to transition from 

conventional to organic production systems. Compost and Biological Amendments Improve Disease Control and Potato Productivity. Potatoes frequently suffer from numerous soilborne diseases that reduce plant growth, tuber 

quality, and yield. ARS scientists at Orono, Maine evaluated compost and biological 

amendments for their efficacy to control potato diseases on both organic and conventional farms. Compost and biological amendments were found to reduce diseases and increased potato yields

by as much as 30%. Adopting these results can provide growers with more sustainable 

production systems having higher yields and requiring fewer chemicals for controlling diseases, or reduce risks of yield losses in organic production systems.

Increased American Food System Security. Consumer dependence on centralized and 

distantly produced agricultural products including fresh market produce makes large urban 

centers vulnerable to risks of interrupted food supplies due to health safety concerns and natural 

disasters. Over the past forty years, many of the small farms and the associated infrastructure 

needed to support locally sourced foods in the Eastern Seaboard region have been lost. To 

proactively reverse these trends, ARS scientists at Orono, Maine and Beltsville, Maryland and 

USDA­Economics Research Service and USDA­Agricultural Marketing Service, in cooperation 

with scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, Iowa State University, and Pennsylvania State University, are determining how local­based production systems could be 

redesigned to meet a greater portion of regional food demand and diversify the food supply. This

research projects was initiated to determine the biophysical capacity of local production systems

to meet Eastern U.S. market demand. Economic and biophysical modeling decision tools are 

needed to construct an efficient regional food supply chain based on local production that deals

with the challenges of rural lands lost to suburban development, rising transportation costs, and 

global market competition. An ARS­funded Post­doc Research Associate has been contributed 

by headquarters to facilitate the partnership, and research plans are being developed by the team 

to fund cooperator participation.

Integrated Whole Farm Production Systems

The Action Plan Component Integrated Whole Farm Production Systems addresses problems

associated with the integration of specialized crop and livestock enterprises, as well as

diversified agroforestry systems. Agricultural producers face increasing pressures to become 

more efficient because of increasing energy and nutrient input costs. Increased profitability has

been achieved by some producers through specialized production and acreage consolidation into
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large farm units. Integrating crop and livestock production elements is an alternative strategy that 

reduces risks of economic loss, diversifies income, and enhances environmental benefits.

Accomplishments

Integrating Cattle with Crops Improves Soil Quality and Increases Farmer Profitability.

Combining winter grazing of cattle with summer crops like cotton and peanut can generate 

additional income for farmers, but could also cause soil compaction and reduce soil carbon 

amounts. ARS scientists at Watkinsville, Georgia and Auburn, Alabama, in cooperation the 

University of the Republic of Uruguay, grazed oat and ryegrass during the winter with stocker

cattle, and then tested four tillage systems for the following cotton­peanut rotation. Soil 

compaction, water infiltration, and soil organic carbon were measured at the end of the three­ year study. No­tillage resulted in the greatest soil compaction and least amount of water 

infiltration. However, non­inversion no­tillage used prior to spring planting reduced soil 

compaction, increased infiltration 83%, and increased soil carbon 38% near the soil surface.

Combined with a $75/acre/year greater net returns due to 7% higher cotton yields, this integrated 

grazing and non­inversion tillage conservation system proved successful not only for improving 

soil quality, but also for increasing farmer profits. Bringing Back Swath Grazing – Dynamic Farming Integrates Livestock with Crop 

Production in the Northern Great Plains. The practice of letting cattle graze all winter, or

swath grazing, saves money and labor but can alter near­surface soil properties, resulting in 

either positive or negative effects on natural resources quality. ARS scientists at Mandan, North 

Dakota conducted field research to determine the impact of livestock presence on no­till grain 

and forage production. The rotation used an oat and pea mix the first year, then a triticale and 

clover mix, followed by drilled corn the third year. All were grown without tillage, and crop 

residues after harvest were left in swaths for livestock grazing during the winter. They found that 

the combination of no­till and annual crop rotations gave farmers higher yields, more agricultural 

stability, fewer crop pests, more protection against drought, less soil erosion, and more efficient 

use of precipitation. The need for nitrogen fertilizer could also be cut in half by planting legumes

like clover and using nutrients in manure more efficiently. This integrated crop with livestock 

system can save more than $4,000 per 200 cows in feed cost a year, saves labor costs otherwise 

needed for winter feeding, and provides a profitable way to recycle manure as a soil conditioner 

within fields. The protein­rich forage also slightly increased weight gain in cows. Millions of

acres of grazing cropland in the Northern Great Plains being ecologically degraded and underproducing could be improved using swath grazing that integrates crop, forage, and livestock 

systems to make them economically and environmentally sustainable.

Integrated Technology and Information Systems

The Integrated Technology and Information Systems component focuses on research to develop 

and apply technologies that can be used to understand and increase production system economic 

and environmental sustainability. ARS customers want not only the latest information and best 

technology research can provide, but also to know how these innovations can best be 

incorporated into their unique operations. Also, it is important to know whether the use of new
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technology will increase farmer ability to compete in the marketplace or to deliver their services. Understanding the system level impacts of implementing new technologies will help increase 

adoption and reduce uncertainty and risk. Recognizing that users are the ultimate system 

integrators, customer participation in the entire research process becomes a necessity for the 

successful transfer and adoption of emerging technologies.

Accomplishments

New Spectral Index Improves Nitrogen Fertilizer Management for Wheat. ARS scientists in 

Pendleton, Oregon in cooperation with ARS scientists in Beltsville, Maryland developed a new 

spectral vegetation index that is sensitive to plant chlorophyll content. Plant chlorophyll content 

is a useful indicator of nitrogen fertilizer need, but is sensitive to crop cover variability across

fields which is often the result of soil moisture differences. The new ARS index improves our

ability to use remote sensing to precision­apply late­season nitrogen fertilizer based on crop 

need, regardless of how soil moisture affects crop growth. This is important for wheat grown in 

semiarid regions where spectral reflectance can be dominated soil moisture variability. In arid 

regions, nitrogen fertilizer is applied late in the growing season to boost grain quality before 

harvest. Precision applications of fertilizer to meet the exact crop needs of plants across variable 

field conditions can save costs and reduce the chance of excess fertilizer contaminating water or

generating greenhouse gases. This research is a part of an expanded effort for precision 

application technologies applications to nitrogen fertilizer and crop residue management in 

wheat based production systems across the U.S. A coordinated effort among ARS systems

research projects at Pendleton, Oregon, Sidney, Montana, and Hydrology­Remote Sensing 

Laboratory at Beltsville, Maryland is providing ground­based information to validate larger scale 

regional models to optimize economic and natural resources benefits. Production system 

information is being used to validate the Fort Collins, Colorado Root Zone Water Quality 

Model­2 (RZWQ2) across temporal and spatial scales. Two ARS­funded Post­doc Research 

Associates have been contributed by headquarters to facilitate the partnership.

New Integrated Biophysical­Economic Model Finds the Ways to Farm Profitably and

Protect Natural Resources. A significant challenge we face is finding ways to meet the 

conflicting interests of agriculture and environmental groups. ARS scientists in Corvallis, Oregon have developed a way to choose among different agricultural production system options

to meet the needs of stakeholders with different priorities. The new model called PGA­ BIOECON runs on a high­speed parallel computer to simultaneously look at the tradeoffs among 

production efficiency, profitability, and natural resources quality objectives. Thus farmers, conservationists, and policy makers can look at what is important to them, and see how it affects

the others. If a person values water quality more than farm profit, they may choose differently 

than a farmer would. With PGA­BIOECON, the best scientific and economic information are 

provided about trade­offs, so the most informed choices could be made. Answers to these kinds

of questions will be very important as our country finds ways to sustainably produce more 

biofuels.

Integrated Microcontroller and Irrigation Scheduling Technologies Reduce Labor and

Irrigation Water Use. To fully realize the benefits from irrigation, frequent and accurate 

updates of soil moisture conditions across a farm are needed for timing water applications. ARS 

researchers in Stoneville, Mississippi have developed an integrated data collection system that
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can greatly reduce the amount of labor required to collect the needed soil moisture information in 

the field to make accurate irrigation scheduling decisions. The automated system was found to be 

a useful tool for production­scale soil moisture monitoring. By scheduling irrigation using the 

microcontrollers, water use was reduced 25% in one study. For a 12,000­acre farm, one 

irrigation­scheduling operator can remotely accomplish in one hour what would take a week to 

collect manually. Moreover, the near­continuous recordings with the automated system allow 

researchers to learn more about soil moisture changes through out the day so irrigation 

scheduling can be improved even more. Combining new monitoring technology with crop­based 

irrigation scheduling models will help farmers improve crop performance, reduce production 

costs, and conserve water resources. Evolving Satellite Technology for Fast Ecosystem Services Assessments. ARS scientists in 

Corvallis, Oregon used an extensive ground­based survey of the different agricultural 

management practices used to grow crops across the entire Calapooia River watershed, and used 

the results to validate a remote sensing approach using satellite images to distinguish crops and 

management used by farmers. The survey incorporated input from field locations and 

management practices used for three years into a Geographic Information System (GIS)

database. The information collected and modeled for the individual fields were used to train the 

classification of a series of commercially available Landsat satellite images comprising over 90%

of all land use practices. These results were then used to calibrate the ARS Soil Water 

Assessment Tool (SWAT) computer model to assess natural resources conditions that resulted 

from the practices. This development will enable the use of satellite images across entire 

watersheds to develop recommendations for the best combination of cropping practices to 

optimize profitability consistent with water quality and other ecosystem services outcomes. Holistic Approach to Improve Profitability and Conservation Planning. Farm economic 

returns drive land use. Using information from a program initiated by North Dakota Natural 

Resources Trust using a whole­farm approach while also promoting private water storage and 

conservation, ARS scientists at Mandan, North Dakota evaluated for five years the economic 

performances of four demonstration farms and compared these to other farms in North Dakota.

The project began by developing actions to increase agricultural profitability through Resource

Teams that assisted farmers in the whole­farm planning process. Results showed that using this

approach, farm debt declined significantly for three of the four farms studied, and that all four

farms had debt lower than regional averages. The study also showed that farmers can increase 

their conservation efforts without loss of profit. This is important because it provides a template 

for policymakers to use in designing future conservation programs when teams of agricultural 

and conservation professionals are involved who work directly with individual producers. Assessing Farmer Risks with Changing Production Costs and Commodity Prices. Scientists

at Fort Collins, Colorado used the iFARM Field Economic Assessment Tool (iFEAT) in 

conjunction with the whole­farm GPFARM model to perform cost­benefit analysis for

alternative in­season crop management scenarios suited to the northern Great Plains region. The 

scenarios included crop rotations, crop insurance options, and land lease arrangements that were 

run for varying commodity prices. Increased net return to the producer was the objective of the 

analysis. Also, two crop insurance options were used, along with two crop share and land rental 

lease arrangements, and farmer ownership as the three land­cost alternatives. Commodity prices

ranged from the 2006 average, to the much higher averages that were common in 2007 and 2008.

With the lower 2006 commodity prices, the 60/40 crop­share lease with production costs split
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equally between tenant and land provided the most equitable split between tenant and owner 

while the cash lease option produced the smallest net return to the grower. With the elevated 

commodity prices in 2007/2008, the cash lease option was more profitable for the tenant than the 

60/40 split, even with a significantly higher rental price. Results of this kind are being prepared 

as a fact sheet to help farmers decide which production options are best for their conditions

during these times when production costs and prices are highly volatile.

New Device Estimates Earthworm Densities across Soil Conditions. Earthworm populations

are key indicators of soil quality. However, methods for estimating earthworm populations like 

hand sorting or chemical extraction are time consuming and laborious. In contrast, electrical 

extraction allows for sampling without detrimental soil disturbance or contamination. ARS 

scientists at Morris, Minnesota, Watkinsville, Georgia, and St. Paul, Minnesota along with 

cooperators from the University of Georgia improved the design of an electrical "octet" extraction device to allow for variable control of voltage, and operation with a static or dynamic 

electrical field for different soil conditions. Worm extraction efficiency in a forest soil was 75%­ 100% depending on soil conditions, earthworm species and stage of growth. Similar extraction 

efficiencies were found in agronomic production systems, either with or without poultry litter.

The device is labor and time saving and will be useful for producers and researchers wanting to 

accurately assess management effects on soil quality.