On-Farm Research Opportunities

Program Overview

We are currently seeking participants for two on-farm research trials. You must be a member to participate in our research trials. Memberships start at $25 and you can join online. Farmers participating in research trials receive a stipend.

Open Field Crop Research Trials

Can We Reduce Nitrogen Rates to Corn and Improve ROI?

Join a multi-state on-farm corn research initiative testing whether reduced nitrogen fertilizer rates can maintain yields and boost return on investment for farmers with a strong foundation in soil health practices. Practical Farmers of Iowa invites corn farmers in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin to compare their standard nitrogen rate to a reduced rate in a randomized, replicated strip trial. Farmers may use any nitrogen source or application timing and design the trial to fit their operation. 

Who Should Apply

Farmers with at least five years of soil health practices such as cover crops, diverse rotations, reduced tillage, integrated grazing or compost use.

What's Involved 

• Conduct a replicated strip trial on ~16 acres (8 strips, 2 acres each). 
• Compare your typical N rate vs. a reduced rate of your choice. 

Participant Benefits 

• $1,000 payment for completing the trial
• Personalized insights on fertilizer performance
• Contribution to a regional data set evaluating soil health and nitrogen use efficiency

Why It Matters

Reducing nitrogen inputs may lead to: 

• Better water quality 
• Reduced emissions 
• Improved farm profitability

Review results from past trials

• 2022
• 2023
• 2024

Trial objective is to determine if the frequency of cover crop use 1) increases the number of days suitable for field work compared with the state averages; and 2) reduces cash crop yield volatility.

What am I responsible for during the trial? 

• Identify at least one field on your farm with a history of cover cropping to monitor throughout the growing season.
  • Share field location (town, county, state).
• Provide as much of the following field history as you can dating back to 2016:
  • Falls in which cover crop was seeded.
  • Cash crop planting and harvesting dates.
  • Yield averages of cash crops.
• During the growing season (April–November), complete a weekly survey to evaluate the field conditions of the previous 7 days:
  • Survey will be sent to you weekly on Mondays.
  • Survey will ask you to identify which of the previous 7 days you could perform field work.
    • General questions on the survey:
      • During the past 7 days, what field activities were you trying to achieve?
      • On which days could you have performed these activities?
    • Field conditions you deem suitable for field work is entirely open to your interpretation.
  • No more than 35 weekly surveys will be sent to you during the growing season.
• Trial intake and reflection surveys
  • Before the onset of the trial, an intake survey that documents your willingness to participate and your intentions for participating.
  • At the end of the trial, a reflection survey that documents your overall experience.
  • Your responses to these surveys are appreciated because they help PFI evaluate its on-farm research efforts. Any open-ended responses you share in the surveys may be used in the trial's research report published on the PFI website. In such cases, we will attribute the quote to you.
• Keep in touch with trial contact about trial progress and any questions you havece. 

What is PFI responsible for?

• The trial contact will monitor progress and provide support when needed.
• PFI will access regional and state days suitable for field work data from weekly crop progress reports published by USDA throughout the year.
• PFI will analyze and interpret results and then publish a research report on the PFI website and potentially in other outlets.

Will I get paid?

• You will be paid $500 after completing all responsibilities listed above: submitting field info; completing surveys.