The Lower Mississippi River Basin LTAR Site: Observatory and Common Experiment

Abstract:

The Lower Mississippi River Basin is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the United States for cotton, corn, soybeans, and rice. The majority of row crops in this region are also irrigation, primarily using declining groundwater resources. As a member of the USDA-ARS Long-term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network, the LMRB represents a major agricultural region for row crops such as corn, soybeans, rice, cotton and sugarcane and is the gateway linking the Upper Midwest and Great Plains regions with the Gulf of Mexico. This poster outlines progress in establishing the LMRB-LTAR observatory and common experiment sites, partnerships with stakeholders, and new initiatives addressing long-term sustainability in the region.