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
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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 …
This research was funded by Ceres Trust and Stranahan Foundation. In a Nutshell: Irrigation can increase potato yield and quality, with effects depending on rainfall and soil conditions. The benefits of irrigation are balanced against the cost of …
This research was funded by Ceres Trust and Stranahan Foundation. In a Nutshell: Potato seedlings are hardier than those of many other crops, and so have a wide window of potential planting dates. Lee Matteson wanted to test …
This research was funded by USDA-NIFA, Walton Family Foundation, Albert Lea Seed House, Welter Seed and Honey Co., SDSU Seed Foundation, UW Foundation Seeds and Zabel Seeds. In a Nutshell: 16 oat varieties were screened at four Iowa …
This research was funded by NRCS and Ceres Trust. In a Nutshell: Tarping is an increasingly common practice on vegetable farms for bed preparation and weed or cover crop termination. Farmers place either a black or a clear …
This research report was funded by USDA-NIFA, Albert Lea Seed House, Green Cover, North Dakota State University, KWS and FP Genetics. In a Nutshell: Eleven cereal rye varieties and one triticale variety were screened at four Iowa State …
This research report was funded by Stranahan Foundation, Walton Family Foundation and Ceres Trust. In a Nutshell: Starting seedlings for transplant in the greenhouse is a chore where small, repeated components like covering seeds with soil can add …
This research report was funded by Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. In a Nutshell: Overwintering spinach is the practice of insulating a fall-planted spinach crop through the winter. This practice produces an early spring crop of …
This research report was funded by Cargill. In a Nutshell: Many farmers plant corn and soybeans in cover cropped fields using either no-till drilling or strip tillage before planting. Strip tillage requires an extra equipment pass compared to …
This research was funded by Cargill and Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: Johnson-Su is a composting method that allows for rapid and complete breakdown of materials such as woodchips, leaves, and manure for soil amendment. Rory Van …
This research was funded by USDA-NRCS, FFAR and Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: Nineteen farmers performed 22 replicated strip trials testing their typical nitrogen (N) rate against that rate reduced by an amount of their choosing. Farmers …
