Looking back & forward: Reflecting on my Agricultural Systems Research in the Salad Bowl of America

Agricultural systems research is critical to solve complex challenges with sustainable agriculture and food production, and protect the environment. Dr. Eric Brennan, a federal, public/civil servant scientist reflects on the past 23 years of his research at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) in the Salad Bowl of America where he works to help organic and conventional farmers to improve their systems. His research has focused on: 1. Cover cropping to improve soil health, crop yields, nutrient management, and suppress weeds, 2. Weed management methods to reduce hand labor, 3, Developing new tools and methods to reduce soil erosion, and 4. Insectary plantings in vegetable production for conservation biological control of aphids. The complexity of agricultural sustainability goes far beyond organic versus conventional agriculture. The science shows that we need the best practices from organic and conventional agriculture to feed the world. Eric also explains why agricultural systems research is so important. Like farmers, systems researchers understand different interacting parts of the production system, from planting, tillage and soil management, to pest control and harvest. By understanding those connections, systems research is often able to diagnose and find solutions to complex problems that would not have been possible with simpler experiments.