As harvest rolls to a close you most likely noticed some field variability or have some questions about how various products or production practices may work on your farm.  Every year during the winter, UNL Extension educators share research conducted by your peers-other farmers-in their own fields and often those presentations are very interesting to our clientele.

With the advance of farming technologies, it’s easier than ever for more farmers to conduct research on their own farms.  Depending on the study, there may be additional time involved, but overall, the farmers I’ve worked with who have conducted on-farm research say they obtained answers to their questions and the power was knowing it was research based on their own farm.

Last winter the two on-farm research groups in Nebraska combined to form the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network.  With help from the Nebraska Corn Growers and Nebraska Corn Board, three State-wide studies were rolled out in addition to other studies that producers wanted to conduct on their own farms.  That data is still being collected and analyzed right now and results will be presented this winter.

So as you think about the 2012 season, what are the questions you have?  Consider working with your local Extension Educator to design a valid research-based experiment to answer the questions on your farm.  To learn more, please check out the CropWatch on-farm research page.

What studies would you like to see our group research on-farm in 2013?