Integrated Analysis of Climate Mitigation and Adaptation In Corn-Based Cropping Systems.

This presentation will describe a coordinated framework that integrates field observations, systems analysis, and modeling to inform policy development and guide on-farm, watershed level, and public decision-making regarding climate mitigation and adaptation in corn-based systems.  This integrated framework has been developed as a key component of the USDA/AFRI-funded Cropping Systems Coordinated Agricultural Project (CSCAP): Climate change, mitigation, and adaptation in corn-based cropping systems.  This project seeks to investigate the complex carbon, nitrogen and water cycles in managing corn-based cropping systems to increase efficiency and productivity while simultaneously decreasing the environmental footprint under extreme and variable long-term weather conditions. The research team from 10 Midwestern Land Grant Universities is utilizing data from a network of 26 field sites across the region to assess the performance of corn-based cropping systems under a variety of crop management practices including tillage, cover crops, extended crop rotations, drainage water management and nitrogen management techniques.  The experimental data are being extended using physical and socio-economic models to predict responses to a range of climate and economic scenarios. The set of integrated models being utilized combine historical data and climate projections with the experimental data for calibration at multiple scales: field, farm, and landscape. This modeling framework is being used to determine the best targeting of cover crops, drainage management, and other conservation practices within a corn-based cropping system under a range of possible environmental goals and policies.  This presentation will provide detailed description of the structure and function of this coordinated system analysis framework.