Crop rotation diversification is a tool farmers have to reduce economic risk, disrupt pest cycles, increase soil resilience, and improve water quality. Investigators with the Sustainable Corn Project are conducting studies to determine if diverse, multi-year rotations also can help crops thrive as precipitation patterns change in the Corn Belt.

Author Jeff Strock is a professor and soil scientist at the University of Minnesota. Co-author Brent Dalzell is a research associate and biogeochemist at the University of Minnesota.

This resource is part of the USDA-NIFA funded project for climate and agriculture that gathered data from 35 field sites and thousands of farmers in 9 Midwestern states, with the goal of creating a suite of practices for corn-based systems.