The Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trial (WICST) was established in 1989 in response to farmers and others making a case for long-term research on low-input farming. WICST set out to investigate both the benefits and limitations of alternative agriculture through replicated research on the productivity, profitability and environmental impacts of both sustainably and conventionally managed production systems.

A long-term southern Wisconsin cropping systems study shows that soils under managed grazing have a number of positive characteristics compared to soils under other cropping systems.

Dairy heifers that were raised on pasture in the ongoing Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems
Trial (WICST) performed as well as or better than similar heifers that were raised in confinement.

Farms provide the food, fiber and energy that people need. Farms also benefit society by providing services that may not earn money, but support functioning of the ecosystem. For instance, farms can provide carbon sequestration, water purification and wildlife habitat. The extent to which they provide these services depends on their management.

Printer-friendly version (PDF) Grain farmers can help the environment by expanding their corn-soybean rotations to include additional crops. Research has shown that expanded rotations can […]

Dairy farmers can reduce their purchased inputs without cutting into their profits. An ongoing twelve-year study of two forage rotations similar to those found on […]

Cash grain farmers can improve their bottom line by diversifying crops and reducing chemical inputs, according to a cropping systems trial now in its eighth […]

Can environmentally beneficial crop rotations also improve farm profitability? A long-term study underway in southern Wisconsin aims to find out. It blends systems research with […]

Wisconsin cash grain and dairy livestock cropping systems have gone on trial. The goal is to identify and evaluate trade-offs of various production strategies. An […]