Farmer-Led Research

In a Nutshell: Proper management is required for successfully overcoming yield drag in corn following a cereal rye cover crop. This typically involves waiting 10-14 days between cover crop termination and corn planting as well as applying a …

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 USDA-NRCS. In a Nutshell: Sixteen corn farmers performed 17 replicated strip trials testing their typical nitrogen (N) rate against that rate reduced by 15-45%. Most farms routinely used cover crops in the past …

This research was funded by Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: Jack Boyer and Dick Sloan have found success for years using winter small grains like cereal rye and winter wheat as cover crops when seeded in the …

This research was funded by the Walton Family Foundation.  In a Nutshell: In recent years, several farmers have wondered about using clover as a companion cover crop or “living mulch” with corn. Such a strategy would increase the …

In a Nutshell: Jack Boyer, Eric Fynaardt, Kevin Holl and Rob Stout each conducted strip trials to test the effect of cereal rye cover crop termination date on corn disease pressure and corn yield. They each compared terminating …

In a Nutshell: Interseeding cover crops to corn at the V4 stage has been met with mixed success, likely because of shading by the tall corn canopy later in the season hindering cover crop growth. Cooperators evaluated the …

In a Nutshell Delaying cover crop termination until soybean planting would allow for more biomass production by the cover crop in the spring presenting the opportunity for more environmental benefit. Farmer-cooperators seeded soybeans 10-14 days after terminating a …

In a Nutshell: Sam Ose has been struggling with weed control in seed corn. He wondered if interseeding a cereal rye cover crop might help suppress weeds and tested two seeding dates: when the corn reached the V6 …

This research was funded by USDA-NRCS and FFAR. 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.  Four of the 19 …

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 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 …