Sustainable Agriculture Growth in the Heartland

• The Great Lakes states constitute one of the most productive and economically important regions in the country—America’s heartland. The state of Indiana has one of the highest percentages of its land area in agricultural production among key farming states.
  
  During the last two million years, glaciers repeatedly advanced and retreated across the region, leaving behind a thick complex blanket of intermixed layers of mud, clay, silt, sand, and gravel. These glacial deposits contain abundant resources upon which we have built our society: rich soils, land for agriculture and development, plentiful ground and surface water for drinking water and irrigation, and minerals for construction.
  
  The continued economic growth of Indiana and the protection of its population and environment are related to fundamental issues involving land, water, mineral, and biological resources. Addressing the conflicting demands on these resources without adequate information can result in land-use decisions that are not compatible with the sustainable development and a continued high quality of life for future generations. Decision makers need accurate information about these shallow subsurface deposits—their characteristics, three-dimensional distribution, and thickness—to reach informed resource- and land-use conclusions.
  
  Mapping of unconsolidated sediments and associated studies of ground-water hydrology can benefit farmers in the state of Indiana by both identifying and protecting diminishing water resources. Ever growing population pressures along with the uncertainty of climatic change will likely put a premium on water resources. By understanding the sources and primary locations of glacial aquifers in Indiana, we can better protect and optimally exploit the subsurface reservoirs during both times of abundance and of drought.
  
  Moreover, this information can be used to address the vulnerability of aquifers that could be affected by known sources of pollution, the locations where polluted ground water should discharge as surface and subsurface seepages, and the areas where relatively pristine water should be found and protected.