Where is the USA Corn Belt, and how is it changing?

Green, Timothy R.; Kipka, Holm; David, Olaf; McMaster, Gregory S.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.09.325

Cited by 100 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The definition of the US Midwest used here is the region that encompasses the Upper Mississippi River basin and to a lesser extent the Western Lake Erie basin, including Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Indiana, and Ohio (Green et al, 2018). According to the latest agricultural census (2012), these states accounted for 70% of total maize production in the United States (USDA‐NASS, 2014, 2018) and one‐third of global maize production in 2017 (FAO, 2017).…”

Section: Phosphorus In the Us Midwestmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a Regional Phosphorus (Re)cycle in the US Midwest

et al. 2019

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Redirecting anthropogenic waste phosphorus (P) flows from receiving water bodies to high P demand agricultural fields requires a resource management approach that integrates biogeochemistry, agronomy, engineering, and economics. In the US Midwest, agricultural reuse of P recovered from spatially colocated waste streams stands to reduce point‐source P discharges, meet agricultural P needs, and—depending on the speciation of recovered P—mitigate P losses from agriculture. However, the speciation of P recovered from waste streams via its chemical transformation—referred to here as recovered P (rP) differs markedly based on waste stream composition and recovery method, which can further interact with soil and crop characteristics of agricultural sinks. The solubility of rP presents key tensions between engineered P recovery and agronomic reuse because it defines both the ability to remove organic and inorganic P from aqueous streams and the crop availability of rP. The potential of rP generation and composition differs greatly among animal, municipal, and grain milling waste streams due to the aqueous speciation of P and presence of coprecipitants. Two example rP forms, phytin and struvite, engage in distinct biogeochemical processes on addition to soils that ultimately influence crop uptake and potential losses of rP. These processes also influence the fate of nitrogen (N) embodied in rP. The economics of rP generation and reuse will determine if and which rP are produced. Matching rP species to appropriate agricultural systems is critical to develop sustainable and financially viable regional exchanges of rP from wastewater treatment to agricultural end users. Core Ideas There is high potential for recovering P (rP) from point sources for agricultural reuse. rP speciation depends on recovery source and method, interacts with soils and crops. Engineering, agronomic, and economic considerations of rP are context‐specific.

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Section: Phosphorus In the Us Midwestmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a Regional Phosphorus (Re)cycle in the US Midwest

et al. 2019

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“…Cropping pattern changes are especially evident in the eastern part of these two states (Lu et al., ; Wright & Wimberly, ), often described as the northwest edge of the Corn Belt (Green, Kipka, David, & McMaster, ). Figure shows data for the period 1940–2018 for the three eastern National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Crop Reporting Districts in North and South Dakota (USDA‐NASS, ), including the northeast (NE), east‐central (EC), and southeast (SE) districts of each state.…”

Section: How Are Cropping Patterns Changing?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These techniques have been applied recently to smaller scale research to identify local, more subtle trends in land use and cropping patterns specific to the Dakotas (Arora & Wolter, 2018;Auch et al, 2018;Otto et al, 2016;Reitsma et al, 2015). Cropping pattern changes are especially evident in the eastern part of these two states (Lu et al, 2018;Wright & Wimberly, 2013), often described as the northwest edge of the Corn Belt (Green, Kipka, David, & McMaster, 2018). Figure 2 shows data for the period 1940-2018 for the three eastern National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Crop Reporting Districts in North and South Dakota (USDA-NASS, 2019a), including the northeast (NE), east-central (EC), and southeast (SE) districts of each state.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cropping pattern changes diminish agroecosystem services in North and South Dakota, USA

et al. 2020

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In the past several decades, North and South Dakota have experienced increased agricultural expansion and crop rotation simplification, namely an increase in corn (Zea mays L.)– soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] systems. This review investigates the nature and extent of those changes, the underlying causes, and the consequences they have on ecosystem services. The framework of ecosystem services is underutilized in agricultural research, but it can be used to describe the sustainability, resistance, and resilience of the system in relation to these land use changes. The current trends are focused on maximizing provisioning services (i.e., food and fuel) at the expense of regulating, cultural, and supporting services. The decline of regulating services can be seen in increased peak river flow (up to 100% and 200% increases in South and North Dakota, respectively), as well as by the 100% increase in area treated by chemicals, partially due to diminished bioregulation of pests and weeds. The effects on supporting services are demonstrated by altered C balances and water cycling, while the loss of cultural connection to the land is evidenced by a 40% decrease in land conservation since 1997. Overall, these changes are making the land in North and South Dakota more susceptible to stressors, such as drought, crop pests, or even economic trends that could greatly harm these agroecosystems and have nationwide ramifications. To address these changes, producers need to provide a balance of agroecosystem services by optimizing currently available management strategies and possibly transforming agricultural practices for long‐term system stability.

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“…The US Corn Belt encompasses approximately 1 million km 2 across 12 states in the midwestern United States [40]. It is characterized by high-yielding commercial agriculture predominantly in maize-soy rotation, contributing over one third of global production for these crops [41].…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Satellites reveal a small positive yield effect from conservation tillage across the US Corn Belt

Deines

Wang

Lobell

2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Conservation tillage is a primary tenet of conservation agriculture aimed at restoring and maintaining soil health for long-term crop productivity. Because soil degradation typically operates on century timescales, farmer adoption is influenced by near-term yield impacts and profitability. Although numerous localized field trials have examined the yield impacts of conservation tillage, their results are mixed and often unrepresentative of real-world conditions. Here, we applied a machine-learning causal inference approach to satellite-derived datasets of tillage practices and crop yields spanning the US Corn Belt from 2005 to 2017 to assess on-the-ground yield impacts at field-level resolution across thousands of fields. We found an average 3.3% and 0.74% yield increase for maize and soybeans, respectively, for fields with long-term conservation tillage. This effect was diminished in fields that only recently converted to conservation tillage. We also found significant variability in these effects, and we identified soil and weather characteristics that mediate the direction and magnitude of yield responses. This work supports soil conservation practices by demonstrating they can be used with minimal and typically positive yield impacts.

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Where is the USA Corn Belt, and how is it changing?

Cited by 100 publications

References 42 publications

Toward a Regional Phosphorus (Re)cycle in the US Midwest

Toward a Regional Phosphorus (Re)cycle in the US Midwest

Cropping pattern changes diminish agroecosystem services in North and South Dakota, USA

Satellites reveal a small positive yield effect from conservation tillage across the US Corn Belt

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