Nebraska Extension has a long history in on-farm research. In 1989, twenty Saunders County producers came together through Nebraska Extension to form the Nebraska Soybean and Feed Grains Profitability Project. This group began doing randomized, replicated research to answer questions that impacted the profitability of their farming operation. Due to the original group’s success, the idea spread to surrounding counties and in 1998 the Quad Counties research group was formed in Clay, Fillmore, Hamilton, and York Counties in south central Nebraska. Extension Educators and Specialists worked with 20 farmers to produce reliable, unbiased research. The Nebraska On-Farm Research Network builds upon the success of these two organizations, expanding on-farm research to a state-wide effort in 2012.
On-Farm Research Brainstorming/Discussion Session: You hear and read about various production practices and products that work for other farmers. You may have questions regarding a specific practice or product working on your farm. On-farm research is a way to answer this for yourself! In the past, our area on-farm research cooperators met before the growing season to brainstorm ideas and discuss potential research topics together. We are resurrecting this brainstorming/discussion session with it to be held on Monday, November 27th from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Fairgrounds (4-H Building) in Aurora. We encourage farmers who have conducted on-farm research in the past or are considering/interested in on-farm research in the future to attend. If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP to Steve Melvin at steve.melvin@unl.edu or Jenny Rees at jrees2@unl.edu.
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