Farmer-Led Research

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 …

This research was funded by Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. In a Nutshell: Mizuna is a mild and peppery brassica green. Historically cultivated in Japan, it often makes an appearance on Midwestern farms as a cut …

This research was funded by Cargill and USDA-NRCS. In a Nutshell: Many farmers use strip-till or no-till methods to plant corn and soybean crops because they want to reduce soil disturbance, minimize planting costs and/or plant green into …