Institute Promotes Sustainable Agriculture People are taking notice of our research programs here at MFAI, and liking what they see. From plants with higher nutrition to diverse crop rotations, research here at MFAI could change the way we farm. Read what the Janesville Gazette had to say.
Integrated Farming Systems
The Integrated Farming Systems program at MFAI demonstrates the benefits of diversified cropping systems and agricultural enterprises that make up a farming system.
The goal is to find innovative approaches to develop multi-functional cropping systems and integrated livestock systems. These integrated farming systems seek to improve sustainability, both in profitability as well as ecosystem services.
This program consists of research and outreach activities focused on determining and demonstrating the benefits of integrated farming systems. Most of the research projects undertaken have been carried out on-farm with farmer involvement, or on research stations in large plot systems designs in collaboration with partners at the UW- Madison, UW Extension and USDA- ARS National Dairy Forage Research Center. Also, most of MFAI’s farming systems program consists of projects that are part of a larger collaborative effort called the Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trial (WICST).
The WICST project is a collaborative research and extension effort to compare the productivity, profitability and environmental impact of agricultural production systems in Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest. The trials compare six different cropping systems (three cash grain and three forage based crops) ranging from diverse, organic systems to less diverse conventional systems. The trials [...]
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, Spring 2010
