How Does Agricultural Policy Impact Landscape and Human Health?

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How Does Agricultural Policy Impact Landscape and
Human Health?

• Donald L. Wyse
• University of Minnesota
• Center for Integrated Natural Resources and
  Agricultural Management

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Multifunctional Landscape and Food Systems
the balance that comes closest to meeting all
three goals in the present and for the future.
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Multifunctional Landscape and Food Systems
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Current Agricultural Policies Support
Agricultural Systems With Single Outcome----High
Yield
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MultifunctionalAgriculture/FoodSystems
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What can they provide?Ecosystem services!
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Potential Ecosystem Services Provided by
Multifunctional Cropping Systems

• Nutrient Cycling, Flood Management, Natural Pest
  Management, Soil Health, Wildlife Diversity,
  Water Quality, Erosion Control, Carbon
  Management, Climate Mediation, Healthy Food

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Current Status of Crop and Animal/Food Production
Systems
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High input-simplified production systems
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with complex consequences
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Problems cannot be solved at the same level of
awareness that created them.

• ---Albert Einstein

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Agriculture and Food PoliciesHave Consequences
Nichols, USDA,NRCS
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Hansen, MN Exp Sta
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Corn and Soybean acreage11 County South Central
Minnesota
Gyles Randall,2003
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Minnesota Harvested Soybean and Alfalfa Acreages
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Not soil conservation
Gasper, USDA, NRCS
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Gasper, USDAlt NRCS
Gasper, USDA, NRCS
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Feed Grains
1lb beef protein uses 20X more fossil fuel than
1lb corn protein
3.25 A meat diet 0.33 A plant and dairy
diet 0.20 A plant only diet
Hansen, MN Agr. Exp Sta.
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Protein efficiency 6 1lb beef 5,214 gal
water 1lb potatoes 24 gal water
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Protein efficiency 23 1lb Chicken 815 gal
water 1lb potatoes 24 gal water
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Protein efficiency 14 1lb Pork 1,630 gal
water 1lb Potatoes 24 gal water
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ETHANOL FROM CORN Dry Milling Process
Grain
Grind, Enzyme Digestion
Distillers Grains
Sugars
Yeast, Distillation
ETHANOL
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ETHANOL FROM CORN Wet Milling Process
Grain
Oil Syrup Gluten Feed Sugars
Grind, Wet Fractionation
Food, Packaging, Chemicals, Textiles
Starch
Enzyme Digestion, Yeast, Distillation
ETHANOL
( 9 of 2002 corn crop )
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Food vs Fuel
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Food Consumption Trends
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USA per capita N consumption in meat
Source FAO
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Canadian Per Capita Soft Drink Consumption
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US Per Capita High Fructose Corn Syrup
Disappearance 1967 2000, Pounds / Year
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Candy and Other Confectionary Products US Per
Capita Consumption, 1966 2000, Pounds/ Year
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Introduction of new, larger portions, 19701999.
Number of Large-Size Portions Introduced
Year
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Human Health Concerns
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Obesity Trends

• A problem of both the young and old

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Figure 1. Prevalence of overweight among
children and adolescents ages 6-19 years
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15

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11
7
6
4
5
4
5

• NOTES Excludes pregnant women starting with
  1971-74. Pregnancy status not available for
  1963-65 and 1966-70. Data for 1963-65 are for
  children 6-11 years of age data for 1966-70 are
  for adolescents 12-17 years of age, not 12-19
  years.
• SOURCE CDC/NCHS, NHES, and NHANES.

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Figure 2. Age-adjusted prevalence of overweight
and obesity among U.S. adults, age 20-74 years

64
56
47
31
23
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Age-adjusted by the direct method to the year
2000 U.S. Bureau of the Census Estimates using
the age groups 20-39, 40-59, and 60-74 years.
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Diabetes

• Type ll diabetes associated with obesity in young
  and old

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United States Trends in Diabetes
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Health Care Costs

• Food based diseases create more demands of an
  expensive health care system

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Cost of Obesity

• Total cost 75 Billion
• Taxpayers pay 50
• 39 Billion
• 175/person
• Minnesota 1.3Billion 5 of total HC Cost
• Type 2 diabetes, Cardiovascular disease, Cancer,
  and Gallbladder disease
• RTI International, CDCP

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USA Health Care Annual Expenditures
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Per Capita Health Expenditures in Dollars

• France
• Japan
• United States

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Total Health Expenditures Percentage of GDP

• France
• Japan
• USA

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Environmental Trends
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Introduction

• Carbon dioxide in the air

35 greenhouse gasses from agriculture
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Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico
Rabalais et al. 2000
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Crawling up the watershed

• ?????
• ?
• ??????????????
• A world class river sediments, water, size

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Water quality changes in the Mississippi River
at New Orleans

Turner, R. E., N. Qureshi, N. N. Rabalais, Q.
Dortch, D. Justic', R. Shaw and J. Cope 1998.
Fluctuating silicatenitrate ratios and coastal
plankton food webs. Proc. National Academy of
Sciences (USA) 9513048-13051.
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(Officer and Ryther 1980 Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser.
3, 83-91)
Officer and Rythers Hypothesis and
Redfield ratios
(Photo Q. Dortch)

• SiDin gt 11 SiDinlt11
• diatoms as prey flagellated algae, incl.
  harmful algal blooms
• zooplankton as zooplankton reduced predators
• desirable fish undesirable or reduced
  community fish stocks

Dinoflagellates
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How does the bottom layer become hypoxic?

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 
  5
• 6

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Nitrogen fertilizer application
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A World Class Lake Lake Winnipeg

• Increased frequency and intensity of algal
  blooms.
• Toxic algae drinking water, aquatic life,
  wildlife, pets.
• Oxygen depletion - degraded fish/aquatic life
  habitat, and release of nutrients from bottom
  sediments.
• Recreational impairment. Beach advisories
  economic impacts through reduced tourism.
• Impairment of commercial fishing activities (25
  m).
• Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board

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Contribution of N P
Flow into L. Wpg. Wpg. R. 45 Sask. R 26 Red R. 11
27 39 5 12 10
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Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board
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Satellite images of vegetative activity.
Areas of annual row cropping
April 20 May 3
Areas of perennial vegetation
May 4 17
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Satellite images of vegetative activity.
May 18 - 31
June 15 - 28
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Satellite images of vegetative activity.
July 13 - 26
October 5 - 18
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Annual Tile Drainage Lossin Corn-Soybean
Rotation Waseca, 1987-2001
Gyles Randall, 2003
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Corn and Soybean Nitrate-N Loss Concentrations

• Tile drainage system
• U of MN - Lamberton

Gyles Randall, 2003
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Annual tile flow (inches)
(Randall et al., 1997)
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Diverse Perennial Landscape Systems
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N Losses under different land uses (kg km-2 yr-1)
Ground level
Tillage and Cropping treatment N Continuous
bluestem (native cover) 11 Corn,
wheat, clover-rotation 485 Continuous
corn 1,213 Plowed 4 inches (fallowed) 2,172
From Turner and Rabalais, BioScience 2003
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Diversification of Agricultural Landscape Systems

Chippewa River
Wells Creek
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80 in cultivation and includes a portion of
Montevideo
Cultivated Land
Grassland
Deciduous Forest
Urban
Catchment size 17,994 ha
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Four Scenarios
A Extension of current trends Increased
field size, focus on annual crop production B
Adoption of best management practices
Shift to conservation tillage, use recommended
nutrient application rates,30 m riparian
buffers C Expand diversity Five year crop
rotation, more grazing Wetland restoration
D Managed year-round vegetative cover Cover
crops, increased managed grazing, prairie
restoration, 90 m buffers
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Benefits to Bird Populations
Bird responses to habitat changes (sightings per
160 acres)

• Tilled row crops gt 18 species
• Tilled row crops, herbaceous fencerow, grass
  waterway, alfalfa and pasture gt 25 species
• Tilled row crops, herbaceous fencerow, grass
  waterway, pasture, alfalfa, and marsh gt 52
  species
• Tilled row crops, herbaceous and wooded
  fencerows, grass waterway, pasture, alfalfa,
  marsh, and farmstead shelterbelt gt 93 species

Best, L. et al. 1995. A Review and synthesis of
Habitat Use by Breeding Birds in
Agricultural Landscapes of Iowa. The American
Midland Naturalist, 1341
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The Annual Distribution of Yellow Warblers
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Band Recoveries of Blue-winged Teal Hatched in
Minnesota
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Prairie Pothole Region Marbled Godwit
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Potential Ecosystem Services Provided by
Perennial Cropping Systems

• Nutrient Cycling, Flood Management, Natural Pest
  Management, Soil Health,Wildlife Diversity, Water
  Quality, Erosion Control, Carbon Management,
  Climate Mediation, Healthy Food

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What Is Needed To Make These Systems Possible?
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Potential End Use Products from Perennial
Cropping Systems

• Grain, Fruit,Vegetables, Fiber, Biomass,
  Decorative Plants, Meat, Milk, Glucose, Liquid
  Fuels, Industrial Solvents, Fatty Acids,
  Plastics, Paints, Antioxidants, Proteins,
  Essential Oils, Antifungal Compounds,
  Antibacterial Compounds, Energy Products

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Grazing
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Grazing Systems

• Perennial ryegrass
• Winter hardiness, Seed production, Rotational
  grazing
• Illinois bundleflower and other native legumes
• Mixed warm season grass-rotational grazing
  systems

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Energy crops
Moore Collins, Forages
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Energy Crops
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Biomass Energy

• Develop and evaluate diversified perennial forbs
  and grass systems for biomass energy
• Develop woody plant systems for biomass energy
  production
• Develop local small scale energy production
  systems
• Develop co-product biorefinary-bioenergy systems

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Biomass Energy

• Willows, Salix sp.
• Alfalfa, Medicago sativa, JoAnn Lamb USDA-ARS St.
  Paul
• Perennial sunflower, Helianthus sp.
• Perennial flax, Linum perenne
• Native legumes, False indigo, Amorpha fruticosa

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Perennial Monoculture Biomass Study
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Perennial Monoculture Biomass Study--Outcomes

• Determine the biomass production potential of 23
  woody and herbaceous perennial species at three
  sites.
• Measure water use and soil carbon sequestration
  of monoculture biomass systems.
• Determine yields of a wide range of biomaterial
  products from biomass crops.

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Woody Species

• Lilac Syringa vulgaris Late
• Lilac Syringa vulgaris Common
• False Indigo Amorpha fruticosa Bio 16
• False Indigo Amorpha fruticosa Bio 19
• Hazelnut Corylus americana x C. cornuta x C.
  avellana Hybrid Precocious-Oikos
• Hazelnut Corylus americana x C. cornuta x C.
  avellana Hybrid 1-0 Forest Ag
• Willow Salix spp.

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Willow (Salix spp.) Waseca 11-8-07
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Perennial Grasses

• Miscanthus Miscanthus x giganteus
• Miscanthus sinensis Goliath
• Switchgrass Panicum virgatum Cloud nine
• Switchgrass Panicum virgatum Northwind
• Switchgrass Panicum virgatum Sunburst
• Indian grass Sorghastrum nutans Sioux blue
• Varigated cordgrass Spartina pectinata
  Aureomarginata
• Cordgrass Spartina bakeri
• Prairie Cordgrass Spartina pectinata Red River
• Reed Canary Grass Phalaris arundinacea Chieftan
• Reed Canary Grass Phalaris arundinacea Vantage
• Big bluestem Adropogon gerardii Bonnilla
• Big bluestem Adropogon gerardii Bison

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Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) Cloud Nine
Waseca 11-8-07
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Prairie Cordgrass (Spartina pectinata) Red
River Waseca 11-8-07
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Perennial Forbs

• Rigid Goldenrod Solidago rigida
• Giant Goldenrod Solidago gigantean
• Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus
  Confection
• Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus Wild
• Prairie mix (35 species)

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Sunflower x J Artichoke Hybrid (H. annuus x H.
tuberosus) Waseca 11-8-07
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Dry Biomass (Tons/Acre)


Lamberton St. Paul Waseca Mean
Switchgrass (Cloud 9) 5.1 4.2 5.2 4.8
Switchgrass (Northwind) 3.4 5.5 4.1 4.3
Switchgrass (Sunburst) 4.3 4.9 6.1 5.1
Miscanthus (Giganteus) 4.3 4.8 5.6 4.9
Miscanthus (Goliath) 4.5 5.0 4.0 4.5
Cordgrass (Aureomarginata) 4.9 7.7 7.5 6.7
Cordgrass (Red River) 4.4 6.8 7.1 6.1
Reed Canarygrass (Chiefton) 5.7 2.2 5.2 4.4
Reed Canarygrass (Vantage) 5.5 3.4 5.0 4.7
Indiangrass (Sioux Blue) 4.6 4.0 5.0 4.5
Big Bluestem (Bonnilla) 3.0 3.6 3.3 3.3
Big Bluestem (Bison) 2.1 3.2 3.0 2.8
Goldenrod (Stiff) 5.5 3.5 6.1 5.0
Goldenrod (Late) 4.1 2.7 3.7 3.5
J. Artichoke 2.9 2.3 2.5 2.6
Sunflower Hybrid 2.8 3.2 2.3 2.7
Prairie Mix 2.3 1.3 2.0 1.9
LSD.05 2.2 1.7 1.5 1.8
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Willow Biomass Plantings
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• Biomass-Type Alfalfa
• Up-right, non-lodging growth habit
• Large yields of leaves and stems
• Retains leaves even when mature

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Agroforestry Buffered Landscape
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Trees and Shrubs

• Willows, Salix sp.
• Decorative and energy
• Hybrid popular, Populus sp.
• Energy and fiber
• Hazelnuts, Corylus avellana x C. americana and C.
  cornuta
• Oil, confectionary, and energy

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American Hazelnuts
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Woody Floral Yields
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What Are Woody Decorative Florals?
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Native Perennial Legumes

• Forage
• Biomass
• Grain

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Perennial Native Legumes

• 50 species preliminary evaluation
• Winter hardiness
• 10 species more detailed studies
• Production and selection
• Feeding trialsswine
• AntioxidantsFood, fuel, feed and cosmetics
• AntimicrobialFood, cosmetics and feed

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Evaluation of Diversity Among Ecotypes of Amorpha
fruticosa and Desmanthus illinoensis(Lee DeHaan)

• 20 Ecotypes of each species
• Three locations
• Three years
• Measured traits seed yield, biomass yield,
  height, width, maturity, winter survival, leaf
  width, leaf length, insect resistance number of
  stems
• Most traits influenced heavily by location
  (environment) and ecotype

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Oil Seed Crops

• Perennial flax, Linum sp.
• Perennial sunflower, Helianthus sp.

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Perennial Sunflower and Flax Development
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Advantages of Perennial Grain Crops

• Low input
• Little or no tillage
• Nitrogen fertility could be conferred with
  biculture with legumes
• Plant only once for many years
• Positive effects on agroecology
• Less wind / water erosion
• Better nutrient cycling and management
• Better energy balance

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Advantages of Perennial Crops

• Agronomics
• Can survive perils of weather hail, drought
• Longer growing season increases photosynthesis
  and total growth per season
• Some could be harvested multiple times per
  season, like alfalfa

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Advantages of Perennial Sunflower and Flax

• Demand for sunflower is increasing because of the
  new high-oleic and mid-oleic oil traits
• Resistance to white mold has also improved in
  sunflower
• Demand for flax seed is also increasing because
  of the high concentration of omega-3 fats in that
  crop

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Perennial Sunflower

• Work began in 2001 with collection of wild
  perennial sunflowers

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Perennial Sunflower

• 2003 first F1 hybrids between Helianthus
  tuberosus and H. annuus were formed
• H. tuberosus is hexaploid (6x) and H. annuus
  diploid (2x)
• Used USDA restorer lines as annual parent
• F1 plants were tetraploid (4x)

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Perennial Sunflower

• 2005-2006
• PLAN B for backcrosses
• Problem 4x by 2x cross gives 3x progeny
• Solution Use colchicine-doubled annual inbred
  lines as backcross parent
• 4x by 4x cross gives 4x progeny

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X
V
F1 hybrid (4x)
H. annuus (4x)
BC1F1 hybrid (4x)
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Perennial Sunflower

• BC1F1(4x) populations in field this summer
• Better vigor plants are about the size of
  annual parent
• Better pollen production / female fertility
• Rhizomes apparent on some plants
• Winterhardy do not know yet

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BC1F1(4x) populations
Sunflower inbred parents
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Field nursery of reciprocal F1 plants, summer 2006
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Perennial Flax

• Began in 2001 with observation blocks of wild
  perennial flax from the USDA-GRIN system and
  Black Hills State University (South Dakota)
• Germplasm included two genomic groups, x9
  (self-incompatible) and x15 (largely
  self-pollinated)
• Hybridization began in 2004 within and between
  these groups

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Perennial Flax

• Goals of perennial flax improvement
• Increase seed size
• Improve wintering ability
• Select for ability to produce 2 crops per year

Regrowth of nursery plant 1 month after harvest
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Linum perenne-Lipid profile
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Broad-based population in polycross
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(Linum perenne hybrids)
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Wetland Restoration
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Wetland Restoration

• Willow, Salix sp.
• Nitrogen harvesting, energy, water retention,
• Native wetland species
• Unique industrial chemicals, wildlife
  habitat-hunting

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Cover Crops
April 30, 1999
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MN Cover Crop Team

• Identify, develop and evaluate cover crops for
  use in agricultural and agroforestry systems
• Evaluate impact of perennial cover crops on
  soybean cyst nematode, weeds, water use, and
  nutrient cycling
• Evaluate environmental and economic impact, and
  risk associated with cover crops

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Cover Crops

• Red clover, Trifolium pratense
• Winter rye, Secale cereale
• Brassica sp.
• Alfalfa, Medicago sativa
• Birdsfoot trefoil, Lotus corniculatus
• Hairy vetch
• Winter pea

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Vision

• To improve water quality, habitat, and rural
  economic vitality through development of
  continuous living cover systems in the Upper
  Mississippi River Basin and Great Lakes
  landscapes

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Objectives

• Build Capacity of stakeholders regarding
  perennial cropping systems through the
  development of learning groups
• Identify, develop, and implement economically
  viable enterprises
• Identify and advocate for supporting policy
  changes

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Strategies

• Build a working coalition of land-grant
  institutions, NGOs and government agencies in the
  Upper Mississippi Basin and Great Lakes Basin
• Gain broad-based support from nontraditional
  groups
• Focus and leverage existing resources
• Tap into new funding sources to drive change

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Structure and Administration

• Multi-state consortium of partners
• Land-grants, NGOs, and government agencies
• Responsible for overall planning, monitoring and
  budget oversight
• Coordinating Committee in each state
• Representatives from learning groups and the
  consortium
• Responsible for planning, implementing and
  monitoring in that state

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Program Approach

• Utilize an integrated, systems-level approach
  that focuses on science, technology, and policy
• Organize at the basin scale, develop options and
  implement at the watershed level

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Program Approach contd

• Initially focus on two strategic watersheds per
  state
• Target a small portion of the most
  environmentally sensitive land in the most
  impaired watersheds, resulting in
  disproportionately large impact

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Program Approach, contd.

• Develop infrastructure to increase perennials on
  the landscape
• Technical Social
• Market Human
• Financial Policy

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Developing Viable Enterprises

• Strengthen markets for and increase adoption of
  existing perennial systems
• Discover and develop new uses and new markets for
  existing perennial plants
• Select and develop perennial plant germplasm and
  associated production, harvesting, and processing
  technologies to meet market needs

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Ten-Year Outcomes

• Increase the utilization of perennial cropping
  systems in the Upper Mississippi Basin and Great
  Lakes Basin
• Reduce N loading into the Mississippi from
  participating states by 30
• Increase migratory waterfowl and neo-tropical
  songbird populations in the participating
  watersheds by 30 to 50
• Shrink the hypoxic zone from its 2002 level

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Budget

• 205 million over ten years
• Includes 100 million for the LTER potentially
  from
• NSF
• EPA (TMDLs)
• DOE and NOAA (carbon and other greenhouse gases)
• USGS (Upper Mississippi River Basin)
• USDA-NRCS, USDA-FS