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
Filter Research
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 …
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. …
