Farmer-Led Research

With ISU entomologist John Obrycki and graduate student Laura Weiser, I have been investigating ways to manage the alfalfa weevil and the potato leafhopper by optimizing biotic mortality. What is biotic mortality, and why is it important? Even …

The Neely-Kinyon tofu soybean trials reflect the growing interest in specialty markets and identitypreserved production. Two of the fastest growing specialty markets, with two of the highest premiums in specialty production, are the organic and the pesticide-free approaches. …

In the early 1990s a dozen PFI cooperators tried their hand at strip intercropping, the practice of planting narrow strips of different crops side by side. Some impressive corn yields were recorded, but various problems made it difficult …

The connection between weeds and tillage is both obvious and subtle. Yes, tillage removes weeds. But tillage also stimulates weed seed germination. Ron and Maria Rosmann, Harlan, repeated a trial they carried out in the late 1980s, comparing …

We started grazing our milking herd in 1994. Our farm fits the traditional northeast Iowa dairy model – 380 acres (mostly tillable), an 80-cow tie stall barn, two large silos, and other buildings for dry cows and heifers. …

I received a SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) grant to look at the differences between our confinement building and our hoop buildings. This is a compilation of what I have noted during this past year. Construction: The …

Why Holstein heifers? This actually relates to an advanced grazing topic. One of the challenges as you raise more grass is figuring how to “market” it. We are looking for ways to expand our operation, but we don’t …

In a Nutshell Enhancements of early growth can be achieved by banding P fertilizer with planters or deep-banders but will seldom increase yields compared with broadcast fertilization. The deep banding of K, however, will seldom increase early growth …

Beauveria bassiana (say “bo-vária”) is a widely distributed fungus that kills insects including the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis. Recent research at the USDAARS, Corn Insects Research Unit demonstrated what we call an endophytic relationship between B. bassiana …

In 1996 we continued the project begun the previous year, a study of alfalfa weevil and other insects in alfalfa supported by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. We worked with the ISU entomology Department through graduate student …

In 1996 I learned how to: Use a sweep net Identify insects at different stages of growth Raise captured weevil larvae and determine how many of them were infected with the Zoopthora fungus. Carry out on-farm research so …

In addition to PFI projects with management of insects in strip intercropping, cooperators have been working in two projects that seek to expand the toolbox for insect management in corn and alfalfa. In 1995, PFI and ISU entomologists …