WHY DIVERSIFY
DCB focuses on five key sectors for diversification:
• Agroforestry
• Extended Rotations
• Horticultural Food Crops
• Integrated Livestock
• Perennial Crops
A more diverse Corn Belt starts with wider options for crop rotations. More choices for crop rotation can help build soil microbial communities, improve carbon sequestration, interrupt the buildup of pests and pathogens in the soil, and broaden possible income streams.
However, diversity in crop rotations requires diversity in markets, processing and handling infrastructure, and demand, as well as changes in the policies and support systems that have focused the Midwest’s production capacity on corn and soybeans for decades.
The current corn-soybean rotation is strongly reinforced by national policy, economic incentives, infrastructure, and culture. We recognize that while this farming system works well for some, it creates challenges for others. Our goal is to expand opportunities for diversification that will benefit farmers, communities, the regional economy and the environment.
We seek to understand the challenges and constraints that currently make diversification difficult, and the leverage points that could reduce those challenges.