Farmer-Led Research

This research was funded by Ceres Trust. In a Nutshell: Cooperators who tested cabbage varieties in a 2020 variety trial found the red varieties yielded less and were of poorer quality compared to the green cabbage varieties. They …

This research was funded by the Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: Since 2015, a cohort of PFI farmers has been conducting on-farm research to determine how late they can delay the termination date of cover crops relative …

This research was funded by Ceres Trust. In a Nutshell: Carmen & Maja Black and Helaina Thompson, Mark Quee and Jon Yagla wanted to test new basil varieties bred for downy mildew resistance to see if they provided …

This research was funded by the Walton Family Foundation.  In a Nutshell: July harvest of small-grains crops presents the opportunity to grow both nitrogen-fixing legume cover crops and forage cover crops for cattle grazing. In this project, Arlyn …

This research was funded by the McKnight Foundation.  In a Nutshell: Whey is a common byproduct of making dairy products from goats raised on the farm by Carmen & Maja Black, Helaina Thompson and Carlos Williams. They wondered …

This research was funded by the Walton Family Foundation.  In a Nutshell: In recent years, several farmers have wondered about using clover as a companion cover crop or “living mulch” with corn. Such a strategy would increase the …

This research was funded by Walton Family Foundation and USDA-NRCS.  In a Nutshell: This was the fourth year of on-farm research trials designed to evaluate planting corn in 60-in. row-widths for the purpose of improving the success of …

In a Nutshell: Alec Amundson, Sam Bennett and Steve Saltzman wondered if fungicide seed treatments might be more necessary for their early-planted soybeans than neonicotinoid seed treatments. The objective of their research was to compare the effects of …

This research was funded by SARE and Walton Family Foundation.  In a Nutshell: Variety selection is a key component of growing high quality oats, but information about which varieties are best suited to perform in a particular site …

Oats grow well in Iowa and have multiple purposes: to sell as food-grade grain, livestock feed, or cover crop seed. The state of Iowa used to be the number one oat-producing state, with over six million acres of …

This research was funded by Walton Family Foundation, Albert Lea Seed House, General Mills, Welter Seed and Honey Co., Meridian Seeds, Sponheim Seed, SDSU Seed Foundation, and Zabel Seeds. In a Nutshell: 18 oat varieties were screened at …

This research was funded by the Walton Family Foundation.  In a Nutshell: Kellie and A.J. Blair are aiming to fine-tune the nitrogen fertilization regime for their food-grade oat enterprise to maximize yield and profitability. The Blairs conducted strip …