Multifunctional agriculture refers to the ability of farms to generate a variety of services beyond food and fiber production. This project focuses on one aspect of multifunctional agriculture, ecosystem services, providing a landscape-level comparison of ecosystem services from alternative production system practices.

Animal-based food production plays a critical role in Michigan agriculture. Current Michigan production methods are dominated by intensive grain cropping and confined animal operations. Yet, other states and parts of the world demonstrate a significant commitment to pasture-based animal systems. Evaluation of the ecological services provided by alternative animal production systems creates an opportunity to enhance multifunctional agriculture while improving farm profitability (Coming soon, link to Pasture-based Livestock Research)

Our hypothesis with this study is that animal grazing systems, based on intensively managed perennial pastures rather than annual crops, have the potential to provide greater ecological services by reducing field inputs, preventing soil runoff and improving nutrient retention. Furthermore, reduced tillage and continuous vegetative cover can increase soil carbon, creating an agricultural carbon “sink.”

A watershed-based modeling approach is being used to compare the ecological services provided by current cropping patterns with services provided by a pasture-based grazing system. The model has been initially developed to compare dairy production systems in the Stony Creek watershed in Clinton County, Michigan. We are currently modeling sediment loss differentials, nutrient (N, P) loss differentials, and soil carbon storage potential under a number of hypothetical scenarios. In order to make “apple to apple” comparisons across the dairy production systems (i.e., confinement vs. pasture-based), the results of the ecological models will be normalized by a unit of animal production (e.g., per hundred weight equivalent of milk).

This project involves a number of research partners. Bill Northcott (MSU Dept. of Biosystems & Ag. Engineering), is developing watershed-level hydrological models using SWAT. Peter Grace (Queensland University of Technology, Australia, and Adjunct Professor at Kellogg Biological Station, MSU) is modeling the effects of land use changes on soil carbon using the model SOCRATES. Marty Heller (C.S. Mott Group) is coordinating modeling efforts and input parameter compilation and modeling the animal production system.

For more information, contact Mike Hamm at (517) 432-1611, mhamm@msu.edu.