** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** FOR DECADES, THE DOMINANT PARADIGM IN MIDWESTERN AGRICULTURE HAS BEEN THE NECESSITY OF THE CORN-SOYBEAN ROTATION; AS ILLUSTRATED BY DECREASED FARMER ECONOMIC OPTIMISM, DECLINING RURAL COMMUNITIES, AND DEGRADED ENVIRONMENTS, THIS PARADIGM IS NO LONGER WORKING.OUR INTERDISCIPLINARY AND CROSS-ORGANIZATIONAL TEAM WILL ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS THE VALUE CHAIN TO GENERATE EVIDENCE-BASED VISIONS AND FRAMEWORKS TO DIVERSIFY THE DOMINANT CORN-SOYBEAN SYSTEM. THE TRANSFORMED SYSTEM WILL BE CAPABLE OF OVERCOMING PERSISTENT MARKET AND POLICY BARRIERS TO SUPPORT A TRANSITION TO RESILIENT INTENSIFICATION AND A MORE ECONOMICALLY, ENVIRONMENTALLY, AND SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM.THESE CHANGES WILL BE ENABLED BYADVANCING SEVERAL DIMENSIONS OF DIVERSITY- AT THE FARM, LANDSCAPE, AND MARKET LEVEL WHILE ENSURING THE NEEDS OF DIVERSE PEOPLE ALONG THE VALUE CHAIN ARE MET.INFORMED BY STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH COPRODUCTION SESSIONS, VISIONING, SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWS, THE TEAM WILL ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING OF ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS AND BENEFITS OF DIVERSIFIED SYSTEMS THROUGH ON-FARM RESEARCH AND WILL RESEARCH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BARRIERS TO CHANGE ALONG THE AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAIN (OBJECTIVE 1). THE TEAM WILL MODEL AIR, WATER, AND ECONOMIC OUTCOMES OF BASELINE AND DIVERSIFIED SYSTEMS (OBJECTIVE 2). MODELING RESULTS AND SCENARIO DEVELOPMENT WILL GUIDE PLACE-BASED VISIONING SESSIONS (OBJECTIVE 3). THE TEAM WILL IDENTIFY INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS (OBJECTIVES 1-3) AND GENERATE POLICY GUIDANCE (OBJECTIVE 4). #DIVERSECORNBELT'S EXTENSION PROGRAM WILL SUPPORT FARM-LEVEL ACTORS AND MARKETS IN TRANSITIONING (OBJECTIVE 5) AND WILL ENGAGE THE FUTURE WORKFORCE THROUGH EDUCATIONAL MODULES AND IMMERSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES (OBJECTIVE 6).