Farmer-Led Research

In a Nutshell Green manure cover crops best fit into extended and diversified crop rotations between the small grain and corn phases of the rotation. They can either be underseeded with a small grain crops in early spring …

In a Nutshell Cover crops are typically either aerially seeded into standing crops around the time of physiological maturity in late summer or drilled immediately following crop harvest in the fall. In this study, two farmer-cooperators evaluated spring …

In a Nutshell An earlier seeding date opens up the opportunity for more diverse cover crops like brassicas and legumes that need more time and heat units to grow than common cover crops like cereal rye. Two farmer-cooperators …

In a Nutshell Grazing cover crops can provide economic returns to farming operations within the same year cover crops are planted. This study is in its third year and is being conducted by farmers in the North Raccoon …

In a Nutshell Six farmers compared three or four lettuce varieties, Coastal Star, Hampton, Magenta, and Muir, to determine which produces better during summer months (harvest July – Sept.) in Iowa. Key Findings Magenta had the highest yields …

In a Nutshell Feeding cows during the winter is the greatest expense for most grass-based operations. Grazing cover crops and stockpiled pastures provides low-cost feed during times farmers would normally be feeding hay. For many years, Dave and …

In a Nutshell Wild bird populations can thrive in properly managed working landscapes. Cattle activity changes grassland structure; creating areas with short and tall vegetation, which provides habitat that is less available in conservation areas. For some species, …

In a Nutshell This project compares yields of fall brassica crops following a spring cover crop of oats and peas. In treatment plots spring cover was grazed by sheep; control plots were un-grazed. Key Findings There were no …

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 …