Abstract:
In this presentation I will provide an overview of research spanning the last two decades or so on land use change associated with the bioeconomy. We will visit some of the core questions and principles behind the motivation for expanding the production of perennial crop and the evidence that has been produced toward answering these questions. Then I will provide a case study that exemplifies the importance of considering scale when addressing the questions around land use change and the sustainability of growing crops to support a bioeconomy in the Midwest US. The case study will focus on several studies from a study site near the campus of Iowa State University where Miscanthus x. Giganteus has been monitored in frequently flood areas in farm fields sometimes referred to as “farmed potholes”. The talk with conclude with a discussion of how this system serves as an example of how scale can influence land use assessments and practices.
Bio:
Andy VanLoocke is and Associate Professor of Agricultural Meteorology in the Department of Agronomy as Iowa State University. His research focuses on quantifying the impacts of alternative agricultural land use in the Midwest US on carbon, nitrogen and water cycling. His team uses a combination of agro-ecosystem models, measurements along the plant-soil-atmosphere continuum, and remote sensing.
