Diverse Landcover Boosts Yields for Major U.S. Crops

Aug 20, 2021

Diverse landcover can boost yields for major U.S. crops like corn and wheat, a new study shows. The findings run counter to previous assumptions that suggest monoculture—or specializing in a single crop, covering larger fields, that can be harvested with bigger machines on a simplified landscape—boosts a farm’s production capacity.

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“We found that in more diverse systems, corn and wheat yields can be up to 10 percent higher,” says Emory University Assistant Professor in environmental sciences Emily Burchfield. “And if you combine high diversity of landcover with more complex landscape configurations, corn and wheat yields increase by more than 20 percent.” The research, funded by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, has major implications for helping farmers adapt to climate change.

Source : usda.gov

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.