Comparing the Environmental Tradeoffs and Synergies of Integrating Livestock into Cash Grain Cropping Systems
Specialization of livestock and crop production has led to rapid gains in farm productivity, efficiency, and the supply of abundant affordable food. However, the long-term sustainability of specialized farming systems has come under increased scrutiny. These include challenges associated with declining soil health, reduced resilience to extreme weather, nutrient losses into ground and surface waters, loss of biodiversity and habitat, and growing societal pressure to reduce the water and greenhouse gas footprint from agriculture.
In this project we collected on-farm data from 31 farms that utilize a range of approaches to crop-livestock integration. Through on-farm sampling and interviews we are quantifying the environmental and economic outcomes associated with these different approaches.
More information will be posted at https://amp.osu.edu/research/ideas-crop-and-livestock-integration.