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Farmer-Led Research
Research reports are written by Practical Farmers staff to ensure consistency and quality, and are available to view or download for free.
The Latest Research from PFI
Filter ResearchThis research was funded by Ceres. In a Nutshell: Honeyberries evolved in boreal forests; the cooperators hypothesized that they might benefit from being shaded. Honeyberries require pollination from a different variety. For commercial production varieties are developed in …
This research report was funded by IDALS and Ceres Trust. In a Nutshell: Heat decreases radish marketable harvest yield and quality, causing plants to bolt, roots to get woody, and flavor to get sharp and bitter. Carmen & …
This research was funded by Cargill. In a Nutshell: Biostimulants are products that intend to introduce beneficial microbes to crops, to harness the microbes’ biological processes to boost plant performance. The aims of this project were to determine …
This research was funded by IDALS, Ceres and The Builders Initiative. In a Nutshell: The ‘Carmen’ F1 variety sweet pepper is an excellent pepper, but the complexities of maintaining an F1 hybrid line are reflected in the seed …
This research was funded by Stranahan Foundation. In a Nutshell: Brewers spent grain (BSG) is a waste product from beer production that can be used as a soil amendment to improve soil organic matter and nutrient availability [1]. …
This research was funded by Walton and Cargill. In a Nutshell: Many farmers are interested in expanding their fertilizer and amendment applications beyond standard NPK in order to address nutrient deficiencies, promote plant growth and resilience and ultimately …
This research was funded by Stranahan Foundation. In a Nutshell: Horticulture farmers sometimes grow seed for seed contracts to diversify their enterprises or just to try something new. Seed contracts usually offer a set price for a set …
This research was funded by Cargill. In a Nutshell: It is increasingly common for farmers to no-till plant their soybeans into a living cereal rye cover crop and terminate the rye at a later date. Dubbed “planting green”, …
This research was funded by IDALS. In a Nutshell: Cooperators tested a range of onion varieties, measuring yield and storage stability. It was hypothesized that varieties that were more resistant or less attractive to thrips might have yield …
This research was funded by The Builders Initiative. In a Nutshell: Milking does, whether in dairy production or feeding kids, are under high metabolic load. Adam Ledvina and Margaret Chamas conducted trials in which treatment does were fed …
This research was funded by The Builders Initiative. In a Nutshell: Bale grazing is a way of feeding livestock in the winter by providing bales of hay to animals out on the land, instead of indoors. By spreading …
This research was funded by Cargill. In a Nutshell: Biochar is a fine-grain charcoal material produced by heating organic materials such as wood or straw to a very high temperature in the absence of oxygen. Biochar contains a …