title: Farming for Ecosystem Services: An Ecological Approach to Production Agriculture.
abstract: A balanced assessment of ecosystem services provided by agriculture requires a systems-level socioecological understanding of related management practices at local to landscape scales. The results from 25 years of observation and experimentation at the Kellogg Biological Station long-term ecological research site reveal services that could be provided by intensive row-crop ecosystems. In addition to high yields, farms could be readily managed to contribute clean water, biocontrol and other biodiversity benefits, climate stabilization, and long-term soil fertility, thereby helping meet society's need for agriculture that is economically and environmentally sustainable. Midwest farmers-especially those with large farms-appear willing to adopt practices that deliver these services in exchange for payments scaled to management complexity and farmstead benefit. Surveyed citizens appear willing to pay farmers for the delivery of specific services, such as cleaner lakes. A new farming for services paradigm in US agriculture seems feasible and could be environmentally significant.
authors.affiliation: G. Philip Robertson ( robert30@msu.edu ) is a professor at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University (MSU), in East Lansing. Katherine L. Gross is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant Biology at MSU. Stephen K. Hamilton is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Zoology at MSU. Douglas A. Landis is a professor in the Department of Entomology at MSU. Thomas M. Schmidt is a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Sieglinde S. Snapp is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at MSU. Scott M. Swinton is a professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at MSU. All of the authors are lead investigators with the KBS Long-Term Ecological Research Program.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Philip Robertson
authors.affiliation: G. Philip Robertson ( robert30@msu.edu ) is a professor at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University (MSU), in East Lansing. Katherine L. Gross is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant Biology at MSU. Stephen K. Hamilton is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Zoology at MSU. Douglas A. Landis is a professor in the Department of Entomology at MSU. Thomas M. Schmidt is a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Sieglinde S. Snapp is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at MSU. Scott M. Swinton is a professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at MSU. All of the authors are lead investigators with the KBS Long-Term Ecological Research Program.
authors.forename: Katherine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.affiliation: G. Philip Robertson ( robert30@msu.edu ) is a professor at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University (MSU), in East Lansing. Katherine L. Gross is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant Biology at MSU. Stephen K. Hamilton is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Zoology at MSU. Douglas A. Landis is a professor in the Department of Entomology at MSU. Thomas M. Schmidt is a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Sieglinde S. Snapp is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at MSU. Scott M. Swinton is a professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at MSU. All of the authors are lead investigators with the KBS Long-Term Ecological Research Program.
authors.forename: Stephen K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.affiliation: G. Philip Robertson ( robert30@msu.edu ) is a professor at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University (MSU), in East Lansing. Katherine L. Gross is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant Biology at MSU. Stephen K. Hamilton is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Zoology at MSU. Douglas A. Landis is a professor in the Department of Entomology at MSU. Thomas M. Schmidt is a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Sieglinde S. Snapp is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at MSU. Scott M. Swinton is a professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at MSU. All of the authors are lead investigators with the KBS Long-Term Ecological Research Program.
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Landis
authors.affiliation: G. Philip Robertson ( robert30@msu.edu ) is a professor at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University (MSU), in East Lansing. Katherine L. Gross is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant Biology at MSU. Stephen K. Hamilton is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Zoology at MSU. Douglas A. Landis is a professor in the Department of Entomology at MSU. Thomas M. Schmidt is a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Sieglinde S. Snapp is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at MSU. Scott M. Swinton is a professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at MSU. All of the authors are lead investigators with the KBS Long-Term Ecological Research Program.
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: G. Philip Robertson ( robert30@msu.edu ) is a professor at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University (MSU), in East Lansing. Katherine L. Gross is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant Biology at MSU. Stephen K. Hamilton is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Zoology at MSU. Douglas A. Landis is a professor in the Department of Entomology at MSU. Thomas M. Schmidt is a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Sieglinde S. Snapp is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at MSU. Scott M. Swinton is a professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at MSU. All of the authors are lead investigators with the KBS Long-Term Ecological Research Program.
authors.forename: Sieglinde S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Snapp
authors.affiliation: G. Philip Robertson ( robert30@msu.edu ) is a professor at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University (MSU), in East Lansing. Katherine L. Gross is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant Biology at MSU. Stephen K. Hamilton is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Zoology at MSU. Douglas A. Landis is a professor in the Department of Entomology at MSU. Thomas M. Schmidt is a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Sieglinde S. Snapp is a professor at KBS and in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences at MSU. Scott M. Swinton is a professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at MSU. All of the authors are lead investigators with the KBS Long-Term Ecological Research Program.
authors.forename: Scott M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Swinton
keywords: agriculture; biocontrol; ecosystem services; greenhouse gas mitigation; water quality