This blog post is the second in a two-part series discussing precision agriculture technologies (PATs) and the benefits they offer to farmers who adopt them. Part One discussed the history of PATs and the trends in adoption in the United States. While there are many benefits to farmers and the environment, the adoption rate of some technologies remains below 50% across the major crops grown in the U.S. Another benefit farmers who have adopted PATs can realize is the ability to conduct on-farm precision experimentation (OFPE). Farmers have always conducted experiments, but OFPE seeks to bridge the gap between farmers and researchers to benefit the entire agriculture industry. This post will explore the concept of OFPE, the benefits to farmers and researchers, and how a successful farmer-researcher network can flourish.
While the adoption of precision agriculture technologies (PATs) and the factors that affect adoption have been studied for decades, the literature on OFPE is not as in-depth. It is important to first consider what OFPE is and how it impacts farmers and researchers. Lacoste et al. (2022) defines OFPE as a collaborative process that brings farmers and researchers together to help support a farmer’s management decisions. At the core of OFPE, according to Lacoste, are three main pillars. First, OFPE occurs on a farmer’s operation rather than a small plot to make sure the experiments are meaningful to producers. Second, the interests of the producer and other key stakeholders in the process are clearly stated and are necessary to proceed forward. Third, OFPE is a joint, collaborative process where farmers and researchers can learn from each other. Farmers are always looking to learn new things for their operations, and OFPE gives them an opportunity to work directly with researchers and participate directly in experiments.
But are farmers already doing experiments on their operations? Longchamps (2022) interviewed ten farmers in New York State to understand their perceptions of OFPE and their willingness to conduct experiments with researchers. All ten farmers were conducting some kind of experiment on their operations, and they put significant thought and consideration into the experiments. While this study may be small, it shows that farmers are willing to conduct experiments on their operations and are interested in working with researchers to conduct experiments. However, support systems for farmers and researchers need to be in place to effectively facilitate these experiments.
The idea of moving experiments from small university research plots to larger-scale operations is nothing new. Gerber (1992) outlined a participatory research model that helps combine the expertise and training of researchers with the practical knowledge and experiences of farmers. It is important for researchers to keep farmer interests at the center of their experiments. Farmer-researcher networks are not new ideas either, with one of the earliest networks being the Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI). PFI was created in the 1980s and is led by farmers who want to conduct experiments on profitable and environmentally sound practices (Thompson & Thompson, 1990). One of the hallmarks of a PFI experiment is a side-by-side demonstration of a farmer’s typical practice and an alternative practice to demonstrate the effectiveness of the alternative practice. The PFI is not the only farmer-researcher network in the United States. Other networks in the United States include those run through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Ohio State University, and Montana State University.
What makes a successful farmer-researcher network? Tao et al. (2019) outlined several characteristics that any farmer-researcher network should possess. There are several groups and committees that play integral parts in a network. An advisory council consists of farmers, researchers, and other key stakeholders and is responsible for major tasks such as selecting research priorities and finding funding sources for these experiments. A farmers’ advisory council is comprised of participating farmers and helps provide key insights into experiment design and topics to experiment. Other important groups outlined by the authors include a data analysis committee and a database management committee. All of these groups and the people who participate in a farmer-researcher network play a crucial role in the success of the network.
This two-part blog series has explored precision agriculture technologies (PATs) and on-farm precision experimentation (OFPE). As agriculture has evolved and new challenges have emerged, farmers have been looking to adopt new tools and practices to meet these challenges head-on. PATs are different technologies that can help farmers apply inputs more effectively and make better decisions. This can reduce their impact on the environment and local ecosystems and protect their economic bottom line. In addition to these benefits, PATs can help farmers conduct experiments on their operations to learn how they could adopt alternative practices on their operations. The central pillar of OFPE is collaboration between researchers and farmers. Both sides can learn from each other and design meaningful and impactful experiments for farmers worldwide.
For further reading, visit the following links:
- Lacoste et al. (2022): https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00424-4.
- Tao et al. (2019): https://doi.org/10.2134/cs2019.52.0503.
- Thompson & Thompson (1990): https://www.jstor.org/stable/44507095.
- Longchamps (2022): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/363067125_Enhancing_NY_State_on-farm_experimentation_with_digital_agronomy.
- Gerber (1990): https://www.jstor.org/stable/44503702.