Evolution of Dryland Cropping Systems: Perspectives from the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory.

Dryland cropping in the northern Great Plains of North America is a risky endeavor.  The region’s unpredictable climate has challenged farmers since the arrival of European settlers over 140 years ago.  Following the conversion of native prairie to arable farming, cropping systems in the region have evolved considerably, from tillage-intensive wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow systems to dynamic cropping practices under no-till management.  Despite this evolution, yield stability over time has been elusive and is frequently coupled with widely-fluctuating environmental impacts.  Climate-driven variability in agronomic and environmental outcomes is perhaps the most notable characteristic of dryland cropping systems in the northern Great Plains.  This attribute also presents a key challenge in developing dryland cropping systems that are sustainable under variable climate conditions.  This presentation will review the history and influence of dryland cropping systems research at the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (NGPRL).  Now in its 102^nd year, NGPRL has served to facilitate the evolution of dryland cropping systems in the northern Great Plains through team-focused, systems-oriented research and technology transfer.  In the past 30 years, the Area IV Soil Conservation Districts Cooperative Research Farm near Mandan, ND USA has provided a research platform for NGPRL scientists to evaluate a suite of management practices aimed at sustainably intensifying dryland cropping systems.  Major outcomes from this research have helped guide producers to adopt more resilient and adaptable crop rotations.  The recent selection of NGPRL as the Northern Plains site within the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network represents an explicit expectation of continued contributions toward the development of sustainable dryland cropping systems in the region.