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.
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In a Nutshell Two farmers provided enterprise budgets for cherry tomato production in 2017. Cherry tomatoes were grown in a heated greenhouse (Ann Franzenburg), and an unheated high tunnel (Emma Johnson). Revenue and expenses, including a breakdown of labor, was …
In a Nutshell A roller-crimper presents farmers the opportunity to mechanically terminate cover crops without chemicals or tillage. This method is dependent on a large amount of cover crop growth and the cover crop reaching the flowering stage …
Summary Farmers reported that in 59 of 63 site-years, properly managed cover crops had little to no negative effect on corn and soybean yield (and actually increased soybean yield in 8 site-years and corn yield in 2 site-years).
In a Nutshell After participating in the 2016 Summer Broccoli Variety Trial, Rob Faux wanted to do a 4-year comparison of his yields for Gypsy and Belstar. He collected data in 2017 to match his informal data collection …
In a Nutshell Successfully raising corn after a cover crop requires timely cover crop termination and N fertilization. Commonly, farmers terminate a cover crop 2-3 weeks prior to planting corn but generally do not need to apply any …
In a Nutshell Three farms conducted replicated variety trials in high tunnels of tomato varieties: Big Beef, Rebelski, Big Dena. Key Findings No farm showed statistical differences in overall yield (lb/ft2) among varieties. Landgraf and Quee had statistical …
In a Nutshell Cover crops are gaining new attention for their ability to reduce weed pressure in soybeans. Specifically, when seeding soybeans directly into a thick cover crop. Farmer-cooperators Jack Boyer and Scott Shriver investigated the effect of …
In a Nutshell Can frost-seeding small-seeded brassica species into crop residue be an effective spring cover crop strategy? Key Findings Among three locations, mustard provided the most groundcover. When frost-seeded in the spring, cover crop growth appears to …
In a Nutshell Small grain crops, like oats, are seeing renewed interest by farmers in Iowa. Iowa was once a nationwide leader in oats production, but many farm families have not grown them for a generation or two. …
In a Nutshell Seeding cover crops earlier in the fall can translate to greater fall and spring biomass and may present the opportunity for more diverse cover crop species selection. Early maturing varieties of corn (104105-day) and soybean …
In a Nutshell Cereal rye, oats and other small grains grass species have been proven as effective cover crops in corn-soybean systems in Iowa. Cooperators screened grass, legume and brassica species for fall and spring groundcover in hand-seeded plots …
In a Nutshell If cover crops can successfully be established when interseeded into corn in June, this may permit farmers to use existing equipment (rather than high-clearance machines or airplanes); may permit the use of more diverse cover …
