SOUTH DAKOTA STAKEHOLDERS HAVE EXPRESSED GREAT INTEREST IN INFORMATION ON ORGANIC VEGETABLE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE PROFITABILITY AND SOIL FUNCTIONS. TO MEET THIS NEED, IT WILL REQUIRE CONCERTED EFFORTS TO GENERATE SCIENCE-BASED DATA FOR FIELD DEMONSTRATIONS AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICE EVALUATIONS. SPECIFICALLY, BARRIERS TO PRODUCTION INCLUDE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ON ORGANIC TRANSITIONING, AND UNKNOWN PERFORMANCE OF DIFFERENT ORGANIC MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO MAINTAIN PRODUCTION AND PROFITABILITY THROUGH NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT AND WEED CONTROL, WITH LOWER RELIANCE ON ORGANIC MANURE AND TILLAGE. THUS, WE PROPOSED TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY AND IMPACTS OF LIVING MULCH INTEGRATION ON AGRONOMIC PERFORMANCE, SOIL PROPERTIES, ECONOMIC RETURNS, AND OVERALL ECOSYSTEM SERVICES FOR ORGANIC VEGETABLE PRODUCTION.THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL BE CONDUCTED AT BOTH UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FARM AND ONE FARMER'S FIELD. IT WILL ADDRESS QUESTIONS SURROUNDING THE INCORPORATION OF PERENNIAL CLOVER SPECIES IN VEGETABLE CROPPING SYSTEMS BY THREE VARIETIES (RED CLOVER, WHITE CLOVER, AND KURA - WHITE CLOVER) AS LIVING MULCH. THREE DIFFERENT CASH CROPS (SQUASH, CABBAGE, AND SWEET CORN) WILL BE GROWN IN ROTATION IN THE LIVING MULCH AND FOUR DIFFERENT TILLAGE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES WILL BE USED.STAKEHOLDERS WILL BE CLOSELY INVOLVED IN DEFINING THE PROBLEMS, PLANNING, PARTICIPATING IN THE STUDY, AND PROVIDING FEEDBACK. DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION WILL BE TO THE SPECIALTY CROP PRODUCERS AND ASSOCIATIONS, UNIVERSITY AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, AGENCY PERSONNEL, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH FORMAL AND INFORMAL EXTENSION AND EDUCATION CHANNELS.THE RESEARCH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE THE VEGETABLE CROPPING SYSTEMS IN SOUTH DAKOTA BY IDENTIFYING NEW MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THAT UTILIZE ORGANIC PRACTICES WITHOUT COMPROMISING CROP YIELD, WHILE IMPROVING SOIL FUNCTIONS AND PROVIDING MULTIPLE ECOSYSTEM BENEFITS. THIS WORK WILL PROVIDE PERTINENT INFORMATION IN AREAS WITH SHORT GROWING SEASONS, AND THEREFORE A SMALL WINDOW FOR COVER CROP INCORPORATION, AS WELL AS LOW SOIL ORGANIC MATTER AND FERTILITY, LIKE SOUTH DAKOTA.SPECIFICALLY, UTILIZING LIVING MULCH AS A MANAGEMENT OPTION AIMS TO BENEFIT SMALL VEGETABLE FARMS WITH LITTLE ORGANIC MANURE RESOURCES AND FOR THOSE FARMERS ADOPTING REDUCED TILLAGE. THE FINDINGS OF THIS WORK WILL ALSO BE BENEFICIAL TO OTHER AREAS WITH LOW ADOPTION OF ORGANIC PRACTICES DUE TO LACK OF TRANSITIONING AND CERTIFICATING INFORMATION. WE HOPE TO PROMOTE ORGANIC VEGETABLE PRODUCTION IN SOUTH DAKOTA AND OTHER AREAS WITH SIMILAR LIMITATIONS AND THEREFORE CONTRIBUTE TO GROWTH OF OVERALL ORGANIC FARMING IN THE US. THE DATA GENERATED FROM THIS PROJECT WILL FILL AN IMPORTANT RESEARCH GAP IN ORGANIC VEGETABLE PRODUCTION AND PROVIDE VALUABLE INFORMATION ON VEGETABLE PRODUCTION.