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Rich Bennett, who raises corn, soybeans, wheat and cover crop seed
in Napoleon, Ohio, relies on research to dictate management changes.
After experimenting with lower commercial fertilizer application
rates and incorporating cover crops into his grain rotation, Bennett
now frost-seeds red clover into his wheat every winter to supply
crop nutrients and enhance soil quality.
The value in on-farm research, he said, is gaining information
you can trust. “A farmer will learn more about his soils and
stretch to be more efficient,” said Bennett, who likes the
way rye and red clover improve his soil tilth. “You can learn
to maximize yields and reduce input costs – producing for
profit, not yields.”
Farmers and ranchers seeking to cut production costs or improve
their stewardship of natural resources often experiment with new
methods. Devising and carrying out research tests with an organized
design can bring reliable, valuable answers to some of your most
pressing production questions. This bulletin describes how to conduct
research at the farm level, with practical tips for crop and livestock
producers as well as a comprehensive list of more in-depth resources.
“Until you do research, you’re really only guessing,”
said Vicki Stamback, an Oklahoma cut flower producer who received
a grant from USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
(SARE) program to test greenhouse efficiency. “When you have
the numbers in front of you, you know.”
After two years of experimenting with different greenhouse temperatures,
Stamback determined the minimum temperature required to raise flowers
in the winter. While most flower producers run their greenhouses
at about 65 degrees, setting the thermostat as low as 45 degrees
for flowers like ranunculus, sweet peas, lupine and fresia dramatically
reduces Stamback’s greenhouse heating bill. Moreover, Stamback
discovered that she could grow flowers like delphinia, larkspur
and snapdragons without any supplemental heat.
Now, she enjoys year-round production, including selling flowers
for the lucrative Valentine’s Day market.
Outside air temperatures “got down to 4 degrees in the winter
and it didn’t do any damage,” she said. After performing
the research, “I know the best temperature to use, plus what
crops to grow to make me the most profit.”
Effective on-farm research involves producers and researchers,
who work together on experimental design, often in collaboration
with extension educators. Farmers and ranchers either conduct or
help conduct the experiment, providing a real-life setting in which
to test their theories. (Learn how to apply
for SARE funding to conduct research).
“On-farm research, particularly if farmer-driven, can solve
problems with solutions that keep more of the decision-making in
the farmer’s hands,” said John Mayne, assistant director
for SARE’s Southern Region, who works closely with producer
grant recipients.
In contrast to research conducted at university experiment stations,
where trials are run in tightly controlled settings, on-farm tests
demonstrate how real-life factors such as different soil types,
plant populations and pests affect a new practice or system. While
research to determine new fertilizer or herbicide rates, for example,
works well in controlled paired comparisons on an experiment station,
a project conducted on farm to test confinement versus pasture for
dairy calves might bring about more applicable results.
In South Carolina, farmer Tom Trantham switched from conventional
dairying on 70 acres to a grass-based system. To identify a nutritious,
milk-boosting mix of pasture species, he enlisted the help of a
Clemson University animal science researcher. Jean Bertrand obtained
a SARE grant and tested annual crops for year-round grazing on Trantham’s
farm. By the project’s conclusion, Trantham had perfected
a profit-making system of intensive grazing – using such annual
crops as grazing maize, millet and small grains – that is
now a model for many graziers in the South.
“Large, lengthy projects that require large numbers of cows
can sometimes be best done on commercial farms because you usually
don’t have the luxury of tying up a research farm for an extended
time,” Bertrand said. “On-farm research is appropriate
if you are looking for information for farmers in an extension-type
publication.”
In a successful SARE-funded study, five vegetable farmers in Oregon’s
Willamette Valley tested ways to improve soil quality and boost
productivity using cover crops on their farms. Working with Oregon
State University (OSU) researchers, the farmers designed experimental
systems specifically for their conditions. While researchers focused
on changes in soil quality and biology, the farmers homed in on
results showing increased yields and fewer tractor passes. (See
sidebar.)
“They’re getting a competitive edge, not just in yield,
but they are also excited about saving fuel costs,” said principal
researcher Richard Dick, formerly of OSU. “If they can get
away with less tillage and create an environment where they can
still get the yields, they really want to do that.”
Dick and other researchers designed a scientifically valid comparison
of two systems – one using cover crops, the other a more conventional
rotation. In part, the valid scientific results prompted the producers
to make changes.
“Most of the farmers have gut reactions – ‘If
I do this, it will do something for my soil and it will be easier
to till’ – but they need to verify that,” Dick
said. “If the experiment is right there on the farm, the farmers
feel closer to it and really get something from it.”
Apply for a SARE Grant to Conduct
On-Farm Research
Through its nationwide competitive grants program, SARE sponsors
research and education projects that advance agricultural systems
that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities.
Since 1992, SARE also has awarded small grants for farmers and ranchers
to run on-site research experiments. Producer grants typically run
between $500 and $15,000.
Visit www.sare.org to download
calls for proposals, check deadlines and learn about grant requirements.
(Call (301) 504-5230 if you do not have access to the Web.) When
filling out an application, be sure you understand SARE’s
goals and objectives. Find a qualified collaborator and follow instructions.
SARE encourages producers to work as partners in its other grant
programs, too. Many SARE Research and Education grant projects involve
farmers and ranchers, who add an “on-the-ground” pragmatism.
Some of SARE’s most innovative Professional Development Program
projects, which are geared at extension educators, have taken place
on farms or have featured producers as teachers.
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