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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This research was funded by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship – Water Quality Initiative. In a Nutshell: Ben Albright, an integrated beef and crop farmer, grazed cover crops with finishing steers in the fall, winter …
This project was funded by Ceres Trust. In a Nutshell: Jill Beebout and Anna Hankins & Shae Pesek selected three snapdragon varieties and evaluated their performance in terms of marketable stems produced for inclusion in bouquets. Key Findings: …
This research was funded by Ceres Trust. In a Nutshell: Arugula is a popular crop in farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture, but the risk of flea beetle damage is high. Emily Fagan, Hannah Breckbill and Jon Yagla …
This research was funded by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship – Water Quality Initiative. In a Nutshell: The practice of cover crop grazing provides economic returns, and farmers wonder if benefits to soil health follow …
In a Nutshell The practice of cover crop grazing provides economic returns, and farmers wonder if benefits to soil health follow suit. Economic returns are realized within a year’s time, while soil health impacts are slower to manifest. …
This research was funded by Ceres Trust. In a Nutshell Kathy Dice assessed mass loss of green and black tea bags buried in four diverse agroforestry sites, one wooded site and one conventional crop field. Mass loss of …
This research was funded by the Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: July harvest of Tom Frantzen’s organic hybrid rye crop affords him the opportunity to grow a nitrogen-fixing green manure between rye harvest and planting corn the …
This research was funded by the Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: The objective of this trial was to determine the most profitable and sustainable green manure system for planting between winter wheat and corn. Sloan compared cover …
This research was funded by McDonald’s and USDA – Natural Resource Conservation Service. In a Nutshell: Oats were once a common feed source for livestock, but over the last seventy years were replaced by corn. Farmers have a …
This research was funded by Ceres Trust. In a Nutshell: Mid-summer cabbage is popular, so Carmen & Maja Black, Kate Edwards, Alice McGary, Hannah Breckbill & Emily Fagan wanted to determine which cabbage variety: Farao, Red Express, Tiara, …
This research was funded by the Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: Jack Boyer was curious to determine if the benefits of long-term cover cropping to soil health would allow him to reduce his nitrogen program. In a …
This research was funded by the Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: Dick Sloan questions the value of neonicotinoid seed treatments and is concerned about their negative impacts. Th e objective of this trial was to measure the …
