Farmer-Led Research

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 …

In a Nutshell: Strategies are needed to offset the cost of cover crops that precede corn while minimizing yield drag and seedling diseases and maximizing cover crop benefits. In the second year of a two-year project, four cooperators …

This research was funded by the Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: The objective of this trial was to determine the effect of seeding a cereal rye companion cover crop just prior to planting organic soybeans on weed …

This research was funded by The Cedar Tree Foundation. In a Nutshell: There are close to 1.7 million acres of CRP land in Iowa, much of which could be utilized as grazing land, but strict grazing restrictions apply. …

This project was funded by Ceres Trust In a Nutshell: Maja & Carmen Black and Natasha Hegmann were interested in learning the impact of double-leader pruning on tomato yield and labor-time in their high tunnels. Cooperators measured data …

This project was funded by Ceres Trust In a Nutshell In this experiment, Alice McGary compared four bed preparation techniques for broccoli in order to reduce the soil compaction. McGary measured soil bulk density, soil penetration resistance (compaction), …

In a Nutshell: Jack Boyer, Eric Fynaardt, Kevin Holl and Rob Stout each conducted strip trials to test the effect of cereal rye cover crop termination date on corn disease pressure and corn yield. They each compared terminating …

This research was funded by the Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: Jon Bakehouse and Sam Bennett are interested in maximizing the benefits of cover crops to their soil, livestock, weed management and bottom lines. The objective of …

This research was funded by Ceres Trust. In a Nutshell: Spinach is a popular cool-season vegetable, so Kate Edwards, Bonnie Riggan, Hannah Breckbill and Emily Fagan wanted to determine which spinach variety (Bloomsdale, Kolibri or Space) grew the …

This research was funded by Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: Doug Alert and Margaret Smith typically co-seed oats with a red clover cover underseeding in their organic production system. Concerned about weed control, they were curious to …