W.K. Kellogg Biological Station KBS Long-Term Agroecosystem Research

Agricultural professionals  

Research at KBS is devoted to learning how social, environmental, economic, and agronomic outcomes respond to conservation agriculture practices, including cover crops, no-till, diverse crop rotations, and precisions management. The KBS LTER has been studying these practices since 1988 and the KBS LTAR began in 2020 with a stakeholder-informed experiment. This Aspirational Cropping Systems Experiment compares Conventional agriculture (what most row crop farmers in Michigan are doing) to an Aspirational system that aims to improve sustainable outcomes across the board.  

The experimental approach and research questions at the KBS LTAR are designed in partnership with researchers and a large group of stakeholders, including farmers, agricultural and conservation professionals, agribusiness, members of the supply chain, public, and policy members.  

Resources for Ag Professionals 

Educational Resources

• • Podcasts featuring KBS LTAR  

• • Extension Bulletins  

• • Annual KBS LTAR Yield and Profit Reports  

• • Annual KBS LTAR newsletters with research updates  

• • Educational materials, including fact sheets and online tools, are also available free of charge on the KBS LTER educational resources page.  

Events

• • We host annual field days and workshops – visit our events page to read past summaries and see what’s on the calendar.  

• • Our partners with MSU Extension also host many field days, checkout the MSU Extension calendar.  

Leadership Opportunities  

• • A Stakeholder Advisory Board guides the direction and priorities for research and outreach at the KBS LTAR. Members serve two-year terms and attend two meetings a year. This is a great opportunity to provide leadership to the KBS LTAR as well as build closer connections with KBS scientist and other agriculture and conservation leaders in the area. See the current board here. Contact us if you're interested in joining!

Prairie Strip Resources with MiSTRIPS

• • The KBS LTAR is exploring how the integration of native grasses and prairie species in unprofitable field areas can provide ecosystem services and improve farmers’ profits. The MiSTRIPS program is an off shoot from the Iowa State University STRIPS program, and run by the KBS LTER. MiSTRIPS works alongside seven other contributing states to form a regional partnership that delivers programming and networking opportunities to increase the scale and adoption of prairie strips conservation practices on farms. To learn more, visit the page here.