Production Blog
Dan Davidson DTN Agronomist

Tuesday 07/27/10
My Version of Research

Everyone advocates does some testing or research on-farm. This way you get familiar with technology and its feastures and benefits and learn whether it is implementable on your farm and if it works in your system.

Extension advocates doing on-farm research and setting up replicated strip trials using maybe one or two treatments and your conventional practice as a check. With yield monitors it is easy to collect the data from each strip and then you can analyze the data using statistics to come up with a number telling you whether the different is significant or not or in otherwords real or not.

Even though I came up through an academic system and have done my share of replicated small and strip plots to get a meaningful number but as a farmer I no longer fully subscribe to this approach and for good reason - time, complexity and not really necessary.

I am no longer your typical academic-type who passionately argues for replicated plots and lots of measurable data and statistical analysis. While that system works if you’re an academic, it is too tedious for a farmer/agronomist who is a farmer first and researcher second.

I am much more in favor of single blocks or wide strips between one or more treatments and making anecdotal observations. I know what I am looking at, understand the system and the interactions and I don't need replicated blocks to tell me if the technology is delivering as promised. And if need be I will test it a couple years to confirm it.

So everyone wants to recommend doing on-farm trials, how to do it, how to replicate, test date and analyze - and that is all cook book . But I believe that for a farmer that is overkill and neither do we have the time, inclination or skills to do that unless we work with a consultant.

We have no problem planting strips of corn to evaluate different varieties and these aren't replicated and we are often comparing multiple varieties. So we shouldn't have a problem testing other technologies using such a simple approach and then maybe using years as replicates to confirm the presence of absence of a response.

But don't depend on yield as your only measurement because you may be disappointed if you wait for the single final number. Learn to look for other causal responses and how to identify the interactions. That is what I do and I call these anecdotal responses

University peers would call me a heretic and if I am not carefull will be booted out of their professional society.
Posted at 3:09PM CDT 07/27/10 by Dan Davidson
Comments (7)
you may get booted dan,but this 79 year old farmer likes the way you write i may ne talways agree with what you write but you make me think. at m,y age ,thinking is problly the best exersize i can do.
Posted by robert shoemyer at 5:34PM CDT 07/27/10
Got booted long ago, join the club. There is a lot more practical information out here but we need both! Research, put it on the ground running like you and me and adoption. Internet is replacing the Extension system in Ohio and many places, they are also among the unemployed now along with many teachers. It's a tough world but we can make it!
Posted by Ed Winkle at 7:53AM CDT 07/28/10
I have to disagree with you here Dan. As you know I've been helping farmers conduct research on their farms specifically addressing their questions for more than two decades. The process of identifying a production issue, developing a sound plan to evaluate it, and understanding how to interpret real differences in data is invaluable to farmers and crop consultants. On-farm research is a transformational learning process that helps agriculturalists redefine their farming paradigm, sharpen their competitive edge in the industry, and perhaps most importantly contribute to a bright, productive, sustainable, profitable future for farmers. Nebraska studies show that farmers place an annual value of $ 7,000 to $12,000 on their on-farm learning experiences that include not only their findings but also those of fellow farmers that collaborate in regional on-farm research programs. These programs are typically managed by a strong, enduring partnership among farmers, private industry and extension faculty. Considering the ag industry remains under relentless scrutiny by those that don't appreciate agriculture for what it brings to the U.S. citizens and the world, I find it disturbing that those IN the industry themselves seem to seek to divide and destroy the very partners, resources and tools that are proven agriculture assets.
Posted by Dave Varner at 10:36PM CDT 07/28/10
Dave - thanks for piping up and arguing the other side. I know you run a program that assists farmers with using formulaic approaches to on-farm research. But the average farmer doesn't have the time or possibly the skills to carry this out and I still believe that he can accomplish the same thing with blocks or strips. Even running blocks is a transformation learning process if they get out their and walk their fields and can read the language of the plant.
Posted by Daniel Davidson at 9:47AM CDT 07/29/10
I guess I work with the few willing to change who doesn't fit Varner's mold. Any good ideas and help putting them into practice is truly invaluable to the farmer.
Posted by Ed Winkle at 12:31PM CDT 07/29/10
At the end of the day my goal is simply to have farmers making management decisions based on science and sound data rather than myths, casual observations and elaborate marketing campaigns.
Posted by Dave Varner at 10:02PM CDT 07/29/10
Dan/Dave I question the fact of science in the world we live when the question has been asked of certain universities when the issue of Manganese and the chelating effects throughout the Midwest, a leading expert in academia was asked if there is no Manganese issues have tested for MN in tissue or on farm or any other research and the statement was made no I have not and I don’t need to I’ve been told there no issue’s. I believe that we are in a changing world and the research has changed dramatically look at where Agra growth was 20 years ago and they are gone now, we had 40 chemical companies 30 years ago and where down to 5-6, there's not the finical wear with all to keep loading all the cost on the growers back and by doing your on strip trials you will make it work on your farm. We are going to find out if this program works by doing on farm research on farms throughout the Midwest this year, but this cost money, but if your positive this will work I believe there should be a cost and a price to find this out before we try to sale this to the American farmer, remember that a ten year on farm trial has more impact on your farm than anyone else, data is good but it has to work on your farm first. Jeff Littrell
Posted by Unknown at 10:29PM CDT 07/29/10
Post a Blog Comment:
Your Comment:
Post Comment
DTN reserves the right to delete comments posted to any of our blogs and forums, for reasons including profanity, libel, irrelevant personal attacks and advertisements.
Blog Home Pages
September2010  
S M T W T F S
         1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30      
Subscribe to Production Blog RSS
Recent Blog Posts
  • My Two Cents
  • Can Soil Impart SDS Immunity?
  • SDS Root Symptoms
  • Early N Shortages May Not Impact Ear Size
  • Corn Maturity Ahead of Schedule
  • SDS isn't Contagious
  • What Crop is Before Wheat
  • Cobs vs Stover
  • Crop Tour Summaries
  • Better Insect Control with Air
  • Late Season Flood Damage
  • Tangling the CRP Carrot
  • Crop Tour Been Interesting
  • 1680 Picker
  • Gotta Like the Heat
  • Turkey Behavior
  • Never Was a Threat
  • Ear Size
  • Whose Data Do You Trust
  • Bt Corn More Needy