On-Farm Research

On-Farm Trials for Farmers Using the Randomized Complete Block Design. Phil Rzewnicki, University of Nebraska – Lincoln. 1992.

On-Farm Research Guide. Jane Sooby. Organic Farming Research Foundation. 2001.

On Farm Research Guide. Sharon Rempel. Published by The Garden Institute of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 2002.

On-Farm Testing: A Grower’s Guide. Baird Miller, Ed Adams, Paul Peterson, Russ Karow. Washington State University Extension. 1992.

A Practical Guide to On-Farm Research. R.L. Nielsen, Agronomy Dept., Purdue University. 2010.

The Paired Comparison: A Good Design for Farmer-Managed Trials. Rick Exner and Dick Thompson, Practical Farmers of Iowa. This seven-page paper features real-life examples and worksheets. 1998.

On-Farm Testing – A Scientific Approach to Grower Evaluation of New Technologies. Pacific Northwest Conservation Tillage Handbook Series No. 9; Chapter 10, by Roger Veseth et al. 1999.

A Field Guide to Experimental Designs. Jerry Tangren, Washington State University. 2002.

Guide to On-Farm Replicated Strip Trials. Peter Kyveryga, Tristan Mueller, Nathan Paul, Allie Arp, Patrick Reeg. The Iowa Soybean Association’s On-Farm Network.

Grower’s Guide to On-Farm Research. Nebraska On-Farm Research Network, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. 2013.

Qualitative Research/Market Research

Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses. See “Planning Task 4: Strategic Planning and Evaluation—What Routes Can You Take to Get Where You Want to Go?” Gigi DiGiacomo, Robert King, Dale Nordquist. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. 2003. Download or order.

Case Study Research in Education: A Qualitative Approach. S.B. Merriam. 1991. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Market Research (Agricultural Marketing Resource Center)

Conducting Market Research and Marketing Research Tools. Mary Holz-Clause. Iowa State University Extension’s Ag Decision Maker. 2010. See publications C5-30 and C5-22.

Systems Research

Systems Research for Agriculture. 2016. Drinkwater, L. E., D. Friedman and L. Buck. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education.

Perspectives on Systems Research. Gwen Roland. Southern SARE. 2010.

Videos

Conducting On-Farm Research video series. University of Nebraska-Lincoln CropWatch. 2014.

Farmer/Researcher Networks

Alternative Energy Resources Organization (AERO). Grassroots membership organization helps organize groups of farmers and ranchers interested in exploring sustainable techniques. (406) 443-7272.

North American Farming Systems Association On-Farm Research Listserv. To share information and questions about on-farm research, contact sejohnson@smallfarm.org.

Practical Farmers of Iowa. A 600-member organization founded in 1985, PFI is dedicated to sharing information that supports farmers, their environment and their communities. Contact (515) 232-5661 or visit their website for more information.

Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI-USA). Based in North Carolina, RAFI-USA supports peanut and tobacco farmer networks developing more sustainable production methods. Contact Scott Marlow, (919) 542-1396, smarlow@rafiusa.org; or visit their website.

Nebraska On-Farm Research Network. Works directly with Nebraska farmers to address their production and profitability questions using on-farm research. Contact Keith Glewen at KGlewen1@unl.edu or visit their website.