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Long Term Agroecosystem Research Overview

In pursuit of sustainable U.S. agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched the Long-Term Agroecosystem (LTAR) network. The LTAR network is composed of 18 locations distributed across the contiguous United States working together to address national and local agricultural priorities and advance the sustainable intensification of U.S. agriculture.

The LTAR network represents a range of major U.S. agroecosystems, including annual row cropping systems, grazinglands, and integrated systems representative of roughly 49 percent of cereal production, 30 percent of forage production, and 32 percent of livestock production in the United States. Furthermore, the LTAR sites span geographic and climatic gradients representing a variety of challenges and opportunities to U.S. agriculture.

The LTAR network uses experimentation and coordinated observations to develop a national roadmap for the sustainable intensification of agricultural production. While the LTAR network is a new network, experimentation and measurements began at some LTAR sites more than 100 years ago, while other locations started their research as recently as 19 years ago.

A primary goal of LTAR is to develop and to share science-based findings with producers and stakeholders. Tools, technologies, and management practices resulting from LTAR network science will be applied to the sustainable intensification of U.S. agriculture. Technical innovations, including new production techniques, genetics, and sensor infrastructure applied at the farm/ranch level can increase the capacity for adaptive management, reduce time and operational costs, and increase profits and the quality of life for producers.

For full list of LTAR sites, view the sites matrix at https://ltar.ars.usda.gov/sites/.

For more information about the LTAR network visit: https://ltar.ars.usda.gov

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Datasets

9 datasets

LTAR Archbold - University of Florida Phenocam archboldpnotx

NAL Geospatial Catalog
    Phenocam overlooking Paspalum notatum – dominated field, Archbold's Buck Island Ranch, Florida. Tracking seasonal changes in greenness of a semi-native pasture, a third of which is burned annually, another one-third is burned in the subsequent year and so on. Takes RGB and IR photographs daily (every half hour between 6am and 8 pm) and sends them to phenocam network server at https://phenocam.sr.unh.edu/webcam/ where images are available to the public for downloads and processing.

    LTAR Archbold - University of Florida Phenocam archboldavir

    NAL Geospatial Catalog
      Phenocam overlooking A. virginicus Field, Archbold's Buck Island Ranch, Florida. Tracking seasonal changes in greenness of a semi-native pasture entirely burned once every three years. Takes RGB and IR photographs daily (every half hour between 6am and 8 pm) and sends them to phenocam network server at https://phenocam.sr.unh.edu/webcam/ where images are available to the public for downloads and processing.

      LTAR Archbold-University of Florida Phenocam ufona

      NAL Geospatial Catalog
        Phenocam overlooking palmetto (Serenoa repens) flatwoods at the University of Florida Range Cattle Research and Education Center, Ona. Tracking seasonal changes in greenness. Takes RGB and IR photographs daily (every half hour between 6am and 8 pm) and sends them to phenocam network server at https://phenocam.sr.unh.edu/webcam/ where images are available to the public for downloads and processing.

        LTAR Archbold - University of Florida Phenocam archboldbahia

        NAL Geospatial Catalog
          Phenocam overlooking a pasture dominated by Paspalum notatum, Archbold's Buck Island Ranch, Florida. Tracking seasonal changes in greenness in the pasture. Takes RGB and IR photographs daily (every half hour between 6am and 8 pm) and sends them to phenocam network server at https://phenocam.sr.unh.edu/webcam/ where images are available to the public for downloads and processing.

          LTAR Archbold - University of Florida Phenocam archboldwet

          NAL Geospatial Catalog
            Phenocam overlooking a wetland dominated by Juncus effuses and Panicum hemitomon, Archbold's Buck Island Ranch, Florida. Tracking seasonal changes in greenness in the wetland. Takes RGB and IR photographs daily (every half hour between 6am and 8 pm) and sends them to phenocam network server at https://phenocam.sr.unh.edu/webcam/ where images are available to the public for downloads and processing.

            LTAR Archbold - University of Florida Phenocam archboldavirx

            NAL Geospatial Catalog
              Phenocam overlooking Schizachyrium rhizomatum – dominated field, Archbold's Buck Island Ranch, Florida. Tracking seasonal changes in greenness of a semi-native pasture, a third of which is burned annually, another one-third is burned in the subsequent year and so on. Takes RGB and IR photographs daily (every half hour between 6am and 8 pm) and sends them to phenocam network server at https://phenocam.sr.unh.edu/webcam/ where images are available to the public for downloads and processing.

              Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network regions, 2018 version

                The Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network, consisting of 18+ research locations, is conducting research on the sustainable intensification of agroecosystems. To enable coordinated network level research, a spatial framework is required to facilitate analysis. This dataset contains a geodatabase of three new maps describing regional boundaries for the LTAR Network titled "Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network regions, 2018 version.”