The goal of the Thriving Ag project is to generate knowledge that helps agriculture thrive in places where people work and make decisions.
The value of Thriving Ag lies in its ability to translate research into actionable strategies that support economically prosperous and environmentally sustainable agriculture along the rural-urban continuum. Project outputs include practical implications for farmers and growers, agricultural conservation assistance providers, land use planners and farmland preservation program officials, regional food hubs and food/agricultural supply chains, local, state, and federal government officials, and researchers.
Farmers and Growers - Focus on Cover Crops and Nutrient Management
Reduce nitrate losses, improve soil health, increase corn yield in dry years, and may reduce slug damage to seedlings in a corn-soybean system
Practical Implications for Farmers and Growers: Making Cover Crop Mixtures Flourish to Help Your Farm Thrive
Even if you want a flourishing mixture of cover crops on your farm, how can you achieve that, rather than just planting a mix but ending up with a monoculture?
Practical Implications for Farmers and Growers
Cover cropping provides several benefits to agricultural ecosystems, from nutrient retention to soil protection to improved soil fertility.
Nitrogen loss from farmers’ fields is an economic loss to the farm and an environmental concern.
Agricultural Conservation Assistance Providers
We examined whether showing farmers before-and-after photos of BMPs would increase farmer interest in adoption.
Incentives to motivate producers to increase the adoption of conservation practices.
Land Use Planners and Farmland Preservation Program Officials
A framework that connects land markets, housing production, and related factors to provide new insights into how urban and suburban areas grow
Findings: LSSPV projects decrease nearby residential home values but increase land values.
How urbanization changes local climates and what that means for nearby farmland.
Regional Food Hubs, Supply Chains for Food and Agricultural Products, and Food Processors
Penn State Extension explored whether business blockchain technology could be practically applied in agriculture to improve traceability, data control, automation, and trust across the food value chain.
Are consumers willing to pay extra for local and organic food?
Practical Implications for Watershed Management: Focus on supply chain modeling and future scenario planning
Integrating human food consumption choices into ecohydrological modelling
Local, State, and Federal Agricultural Officials
Understanding the attitudes and beliefs of both agricultural and non-agricultural residents of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed towards water quality is critical for designing successful programs to improve it.
We test how urban pressures moderate the level of additionality associated with BMP adoption in Pennsylvania, with a specific focus on the adoption of riparian buffers.
In 2023 the estimated nitrogen (N) load for the Chesapeake Bay exceeded the 2025 target by 38 million pounds, indicating that further reductions in N loads are needed.
Practical Agricultural Policy Implications for Local, State, and Federal Officials.
Which counties in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are doing well or could improve in maximizing agriculture’s economic performance while minimizing environmental impacts?
Why a one-size-fits-all policy misses the mark—and how six data-driven farm clusters can improve targeting.
Fertilizer management is key to realizing yield and water quality benefits from cover cropping.
Researchers
Our evaluations of each workshop helped us to improve the structure and content of the workshops as the project progressed.
Sustainable agriculture relies on collaboration among individuals, organizations, and institutions, each with their own roles, interests, and responsibilities.
