Farmer-Led Research

This project was funded by Ceres Trust In a Nutshell: Farmers were interested in better germination and quality of lettuce seedlings during hot summer months. Three farmers completed experimental trials to evaluate the effects of pelletized seed and …

Funding by Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Background Soil compaction and lack of fence are often identified by farmers as the two major barriers to grazing cover crops. While soil compaction can reduce crop productivity, issues can be avoided …

This project was supported by the Walton Family Foundation In a Nutshell: Cover crops are typically seeded near or after cash crop harvest in late summer or early fall in the Upper Midwest. Seeding cover crops at the …

This project was supported by the Walton Family Foundation In a Nutshell: Interseeding cover crops to corn at the V4 stage has gained attention for its potential to foster successful diverse species mixes and generate more biomass than …

In a Nutshell: Hybrid rye is a grain commonly fed to pigs in Europe. It is high in fiber and low in energy. Cooperator Tom Frantzen raised and incorporated hybrid rye into feeder pig rations in order to …

By Hayley Nelson and Stefan Gailans This project was supported by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Division of Soil Conservation and Water Quality, the Walton Family Foundation and AgSource Laboratories. In a Nutshell: Yield drag …

Funding by Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). This material is based upon work supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under number 69-6114-15-009. In a Nutshell: Determining the optimal harvest window for 100% grass-fed cattle …

In a Nutshell: Farmers were interested in the effects of integrating sheep grazing to their vegetable production beds during fallow periods. Two farmers completed experimental trials to evaluate the yields of fall brassica crops following a spring cover …

In a Nutshell: Farmers conducted high tunnel tomato variety trials comparing hybrid varieties Big Beef and Bigdena, and heirloom varieties Black Krim and Italian Heirloom. Key Findings At Lee Matteson and Rose Schick’s, Big Beef produced higher yield …

In a Nutshell: To meet customer demand, Iowa vegetable farmers need to grow lettuce during the hot summer months when lettuce, a cool-season crop, is most difficult to grow. Six farmers compared four lettuce varieties – Concept, Cherokee, …

In a Nutshell: Delaying cover crop termination date in the spring can result in more growth (and attendant environmental benefits) but could also result in corn yield drag. In this experimental trial, Arlyn Kauffman compared two cereal rye …

In a Nutshell: Two farms provided enterprise budgets for cherry tomato production in 2018. Yield, revenue, net income and details about expenses and labor are reported by each farm. Key Findings The two farms were similar in their …