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
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Abstract Flea beetles can cause significant damage to eggplants and reduce harvest yields. In 2010, Ben Saunders compared kaolin clay and row covers as physical barriers to reduce flea beetle damage on eggplants. Yields were higher in both …
Abstract Soybeans (Glycine max) are an important source of protein in animal diets, fed as soybean meal. Raw soybeans contain trypsin inhibitor (TI), which reduces protein digestion, feed efficiency and limits on-farm feeding of raw, unroasted soybeans to …
Abstract Three winter feeding strategies for growing calves—low-input, medium-input, and high-input—were tested by weighing the animals periodically to determine rates of weight gain for each strategy. Calves fed distiller’s syrup on stockpiled pasture and then as a supplement …
In the fall of 2009, a trial to observe the effects of a cover crop planting of tillage radish was conducted at One Step at a Time Gardens (OSTG), near Kanawha, Iowa. The observation was conducted to examine …
Abstract Jill Beebout and Sean Skeehan of Blue Gate Farm produce crops in the field as well as in two high tunnels. This report summarizes their production and sales data from their two high tunnels in spring and …
Abstract During Iowa’s spring 2008 floods, PFI members who had grass-based livestock systems and long crop rotations reported that their soils held the rainwater. This experiment tested those claims. The main objective of the study was to quantify …
Abstract Jason Jones of The Homestead near Pleasant Hill planted white mustard (Sinapis alba) fall 2009 to test its impact on weed germination in spring 2010. White mustard germinated uniformly and winter killed in late November 2009. Weed …
Abstract Soil samples were collected in summer 2009 at 11 different farm “pods” in different areas of Iowa, each pod containing fields and pastures with different management practices. Perennial vegetation resulted in significantly higher total soil carbon and …
Abstract Soybean aphid, Aphis Glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a pest to soybeans in Iowa. In certain years, it can be economically devastating to a farming operation. Conventional farmers can use insecticides to control soybean aphid populations but …
Abstract Thirty-nine stocker cattle were weighed before and after three different grazing periods from July 18, 2009 to October 17, 2009, to compare the rate of gain on the different forages being grazed. Three different forages were compared: …
Abstract Flea beetles are frequent eggplant pests that adversely affect yields and fruit quality. This trial tested two non-toxic physical controls, kaolin clay1 (Surround WP) and row covers, applied from transplant to flowering, for their effectiveness in controlling …
Abstract Scattergood Farm near West Branch tested tillage radish for weed control in one of their vegetable fields. They also collected data on seed germination for the cash crop after tillage radishes to observe if the tillage radish …
