Most farmers know their fields well. They have ‘gut reactions’ about field and crop performance, i.e: 'If I do this, my soil improves and the soil will be easier to till‘. On-farm research allows farmers to test these ‘gut reactions’ on their farms and take ownership of the experimental process. They can say, I did this and the statistical analysis tells me what worked and what did not work.

Producers trust the numbers because they actually did the experiment and analyzed the results. One farmer put it this way: Until you do an experiment, you are just guessing. After you do the experiment, you have numbers to help answer your question and you trust in the numbers.

Farmers and scientists make good research teams. Most scientists do not own farms. They can discuss research project ideas with farmers. Producers provide practical advise from a business standpoint. On the other hand, most farmers need advice on experiment design and data analysis. Scientists can provide assistance to make sure details are not overlooked when designing and setting up the experiment and collecting data.

Key Factors to Participatory On-Farm Research

Have producer formulate the question.

Work with a researcher you trust, design a simple experiment.

Farmer/researcher communication essential throughout experiment. Ask questions! This applies to both farmer and researcher!!

Analyze the data together, if possible. Test if conclusions economically feasible.

Outcomes