Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** milk and beef production in the…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** milk and beef production in the US are dominated by confined cattle FED corn, soybean, and alfalfa. In the north central region, these crops cover ~75% of agricultural landscapes and cause significant environmental degradation with excess soil and nutrient losses polluting water bodies, greenhouse gasses destabilizing the climate, and loss of biodiversity. Meanwhile, economic stability is low in these sectors resulting in dramatic losses of farms. We propose a sustainable agricultural system based on restoring much of the ecosystem structure and function of the native prairie. This vision of agriculture replaces most of the annual crops in the north central US with perennial grasslands supporting livestock production whose agroecological metrics are superior profitability, nutrient and water efficiency, and yield stability. To achieve this vision, we will develop an agroecological transformation plan that anticipates impediments to change, innovates to surmount resistance, and maps pathways to what we call grassland 2.0. Our plan aims to catalyze change by fostering engagement in local watersheds of southern wisconsin, expanding lessons learned to the four-state driftless area, and to the north central region. Our plan will emerge from a stakeholder process aimed at developing greater supply and demand for grass-FED products, technical and financial tools for grass-based enterprises, decision-support tools to aid in stakeholder planning, innovative policy incentives to enable transitions, and educational content geared to empowering citizens. This project addresses the RFA's A9201 priority areas by 1) addressing total factor productivity, 2) improving water and nitrogen use efficiency, and 3) stabilizing yields in the face of stressors.