Supporting Leopold Center IPM research through on-farm trials and demonstrations

The efforts of the Leopold Center Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Issue Team were augmented and advanced through collaboration with Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI). Using a program of on-farm research, demonstrations, and farm field days, the project evaluated two methods that refine IPM by providing biological control options and/or more precise information about effective (as opposed to gross) pest infestation levels. Biological controls of alfalfa weevil and European corn borer were tested

Soybean aphid biocontrol research seeks cooperators

Soybean aphids have been sighted on V1-stage soybean plants this summer, and they may become a problem. Field infestations are often accompanied by beneficial insects, but it is not known whether these predators and parasites can be manipulated to reduce aphid damage. The Leopold Center is supporting our research on biocontrol of the soybean aphid

PFI field days: Collaboration and farmer research

Oilseed flax production, grass-fed beef, and the Conservation Security Program are among the topics featured in Practical Farmers of Iowa\u27s (PFI) 2005 field day schedule. PFI celebrates 20 years of farmer-driven research and outreach with a special anniversary field day at the farm of Ron and Maria Rosmann, Harlan, on June 30. The Rosmanns, longtime sustainable agriculture leaders in Iowa, will showcase their diversified farming operation and will host Dick Thompson, PFI co-founder, and George DeVault, past editor of New Farm magazine

Supporting Leopold Center research through on-farm trials and demonstrations

This project addresses sustainable agriculture\u27s need for farmers who (1) can develop the skills to conduct research trials (some replicated) of various innovative practices, and (2) who are also willing to demonstrate practices and share results. In conjunction with university scien­ tists, Practical Farmers of Iowa (a private, nonprofit, educational organization) has de­ veloped a procedure for generating statisti­ cally reliable information on working farms. From 1987 to 1993, they conducted approxi­ mately 340 trials. The scientists benefited from having data collected at multiple sites with particular soil characteristics, or where specific management abilities are employed (sustainable agriculture technologies fre­ quently depend on superior management)

Profitability of Crop Rotations in Iowa in a Stress Environment

Small grains crops have traditionally been included in Midwestern cropping systems, but their use is restricted by uncertain yields, poor prices, and lack of on-farm uses in operations without livestock. We compared the corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) crop rotation to actual or simulated three-yr rotations at two sites in Iowa between 1986 and 1989. Water was generally more limiting than was nitrogen, which produced minimal response in the corn to which it was applied. April-November precipitation at Nashua, Iowa ranged from 59 to 111 % of average, while at Des Moines, Iowa it was 77% of normal in 1988 and 102% in 1989. Each rotation was subjected to economic analysis using Iowa State University figures for costs of operations and inputs. Commodity prices were set assuming nonparticipation in the government programs of the time. The rotations that depended on hay cuttings to recoup seeding costs never achieved that goal. Oat (Avena sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) harvests did largely recover the cropping expenses of the systems that included them. Thus, in certain environments no sacrifice in short-term profitability is required in trade-off for the long-term conservation and economic benefits of diversified rotations

ON-FARM RESEARCH IN A DECENTRALIZED INFORMATION MODEL OR GRASSROOTS STATISTICS

Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) is an organization that seeks to provide interactive methods of relaying information through farmer-to-farmer sharing (farm field days, workshop discussions, networking) and the generation of new information. On-farm research (OFR) is an important information-generating activity of this group. PFI has shown that key to doing research on farms lies in combining practical protocols with the statistician\u27s old familiar friends - replication and randomization. We provide background on PFI and how PFI cooperators carne to using strip plots and paired comparisons to answer fundamental questions about what to do on their individual farms. We discuss the challenges faced by OFR cooperators, how those challenges are met and how the simple paired comparison t-test works for the OFR cooperator to answer that very typical experimental question posed by producers: Is alternative practice \u27b\u27 better than, worse than, or no different from my current practice \u27a\u27

Compost Rate Study at the Neely-Kinyon LTAR Site, 2002

Many farmers are interested in using manure and compost as sources of nutrients and microbial populations that are necessary for nutrient cycling in agroecosystems. Compost and synthetic fertilizer effects on corn yields and soil fertility have been compared in a Practical Farmers of Iowa cooperative trial at the Neely-Kinyon Farm since 1999