Farmer-Led Research

This research was funded by Ceres Trust.  In a Nutshell: Farmers Hannah Breckbill and Emily Fagan of Humble Hands Harvest and Kate Edwards of Wild Woods Farm would like to harvest spring-planted cabbage, a cool-season crop, later into …

This research was funded by Walton Family Foundation and Albert Lea Seed House In a Nutshell Nine cereal rye varieties were screened at four Iowa State University research farms. Key Findings: Across sites and varieties, average cereal rye …

This research was funded by Ceres Trust. In a Nutshell: With a desire to prolong availability of spring-planted spinach into summer – a period when bolting and subsequent yield reduction is more likely to occur – Hannah Breckbill, …

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 …