Here are a few form templates that can help you organize an on-farm research project. We provide a blank version for download and a brief example of how to use it.

Project Timeline

Project Name: ___________________

Date: ___________________

Season/timeframe	Activity	Person(s) Responsible	Deadline
Example: Year 1 spring	Lay out research plots	Jennifer	March 15

Proposed Project Budget

Project Name: ___________________

Date: ___________________

Category	Item	Unit price	Number of units	Total
Example: Rental equipment	No-till drill	$200/day	4 days	$800

*Categories: Equipment purchase and lease, facilities rent, supplies, labor (including project layout, crop and livestock care, data collection, data analysis, communications, etc.), services, travel, shipping, plants and seeds, animals, etc.

Proposed Project Personnel Plan

Project Name: ___________________

Date: ___________________

Activity	Person	Available dates	Training Needs
Example: Operate survey booth at county fair	Kaitlyn Doe	Until Sept. 9	None

Outline Sections for a Final Report

This is one way to structure a formal report about your project. If you received a grant, a specific outline may be required.

Title Section	For some submissions a full, formatted title page is required. At a bare minimum, provide the project title, your name and the date of the report. Your address and other contact information, the name of a granting organization, and other identifying information may be included.
Abstract	This brief, succinct summary of the purpose, process and results of your project is required for most scientific publications as well as many conference presentations. It can also be used as the summary or description for document metadata for search engine optimization purposes.
Introduction and Background	Describe the problem you set out to solve, with enough background information for a reader unfamiliar with the project to understand why the project is important. Then summarize the approach you decided to take to solve the problem.
Materials and Methods	This is where you describe exactly what you did. This section can include a description of the spatial setup of fields, animal pens, facilities, etc. It will also describe what data you collected, including the protocols and methods you used in data collection. If samples were sent in for laboratory analysis, that should be described here as well.
Results and Analysis	A table summarizing all of the data collected should be provided here. Follow this with a description of the statistical tests performed, and the results (findings). Use charts, graphs, maps, or other visualizations to help the reader understand these results. It’s important to remain objective here. Subjective interpretations, conclusions, opinions and explanations are important, but shouldn’t be mixed with the objective observations. It’s best to keep your subjective comments for the next section.
Discussion	Here is your chance to talk about the importance of your finding and discuss how it fits into the broader world. You have the freedom to discuss surprising things you learned while doing your project, but stay relevant to your initial question or problem. Discuss the reasons for any unexpected failures or shortcomings with your project. It’s also important to mention any follow up research that might help extend the knowledge gained from the project.
Conclusion	Clearly state what these results mean in terms of your initial question and project objective. Was your hypothesis supported, or your engineering criteria met? Did you demonstrate a meaningful phenomenon or trend? How does this relate to your original problem, and how does it solve similar problems for others?
Citation	If you referred to statements or work by anyone else, you’ll need to properly credit the original author.
Appendices	Any related information that doesn’t fit in the above sections can be placed here, appropriately labeled. For example, you summarized your data in a table or the “Results” section of your report; if it’s important to provide the raw data, you can include it here.