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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Since 2006, Iowa State University has supported on-farm research through the ISU On-Farm Research and Demonstration Program, and PFI has helped promote this program. Projects submitted for funding must represent collaborations of farmers and ISU faculty, staff, or …
The swine industry is in change. Consumers are showing interest in pork that “tells a story” of sustainable farming in concert with the environment and quality of life ideals. A growing number of farmers who raise pigs on …
Iowa is a leader in a new kind of soybean thanks to ISU plant breeder Walt Fehr and to several farmer organizations that are promoting soybeans low in linolenic acid. The oil from these “low-lin” soybeans does not …
Some corn hybrids are like racehorses, impressive but temperamental. Richard and Sharon Thompson (Boone) are finding that a hybrid that excels at one spot in the crop rotation may not do so well elsewhere in the cycle. Corn …
We often wish there were more alternatives to corn and soybeans. But often when we describe what we need, it sounds much like… corn and soybeans. A grain that can be sold at the local elevator, high yielding, …
The 2003 growing season left no doubt that the soybean aphid is capable of causing major yield reductions. Many producers across the Midwest resorted to aerial applications of insecticide; others suffered rather than resort to pesticides. Are those …
PFI farmers in 2003 continued working with corn breeders to develop varieties with high nutrient contents and seed that can be saved and planted again. The 2003 growing season was the last one of a three-state SARE grant …
Richard and Sharon Thompson, Boone, repeated a trial they have done before, seeding twin rows of rye cover crop on the ridge before corn. Dick has demonstrated in the past that this rye can be conveniently removed by …
In 2003, the Dordt College Ag Stewardship Center completed a trial begun the year before, when oats was seeded with and without red clover. In 2003, corn was planted on these plots, either with additional nitrogen fertilizer or …
Jeff Klinge and Deb Tidwell farm about 300 hilly acres near Farmersburg, in northeast Iowa. They have been PFI members since 1995 and research cooperators since 1996. For several years, Jeff has generated production budgets for his organic …
Richard and Sharon Thompson, near Boone, also use a five-year rotation, but unlike Jeff Klinge and Deb Tidwell, they do not sell organic crops. They rely on above-average yields and the integration of the cropping and livestock enterprises …
This cross between Durum wheat and rye has slowly been improving in yield and quality since it was first grown in the 1960s. Test weight is now typically 56 pounds per bushel, the same as corn, and there …
