Field Crops
Table of Contents
Cropping Systems
Soils
Weed Management
Additional Resources
PFI began in the mid-1980s, during the Farm Crisis, to address the concerns of field crop agriculturalists who wanted to improve their financial resiliency and more judiciously use inputs. The Field Crops program has a long tradition of on farm research and linking farmers together through field days and demonstrations in order to exchange ideas and further improve the environmental stewardship of Iowa agriculture
The Field Crops program:
Strives to improve the ecological footprint of annual cropping systems without sacrificing economic vitality.
Conducts on-farm research with farmers growing: corn, soybean, small grains, legumes and specialty crops like flax and canola.
Documents success stories of farmers who've made changes on their farms to more sustainable agriculture systems.
Promotes the use of continuous living cover like cover crops and living roots and shoots practices on the landscape. Check out Managing Cover Crops Profitably by the Sustainable Agriculture Network.
Compares yield, nutritional quality or agronomic characteristics of new corn and soybean varieties in the organic, non-GMO and GMO marketplace.
Works with farmers to measure on-farm energy use, reporting in $ and CO2 equivalents.
Monitors farming system effect on water quality.
Measures farming system effect on water infiltration and soil erosion rates.
For more details about current Field Crop offerings through Practical Farmers of Iowa contact Sarah Carlson.
2008 cooperators results
Profile of PFI members:The Griffieon Family
Practical Farmers of Iowa On-Farm Research and Demonstration reports listed by year. PDF format
On-Farm Research and Demonstration: Cropping Systems
- Aphid Resistance in Organic Soybean Production, printable pdf (2009) new
- Comparison of High-methionine Maize, printable pdf (2009)
- Low-Linolenic Oil Organic Soybeans (2005)
- Seed Treatments (2004-2007)
- Matching the Hybrid and the Year (2005)
- Breeding Corn for Sustainable Agriculture (2004-2007)
- Triticale - A Step Towards Diversity (2004)
- Flax as a Niche Crop (2004-2007)
- Fitting Flax in the Rotation (2007)
- Oat Crown Rust vs. Biodiversity (2004-2007)
- Evolving Our System-What Didn't Work and What is Working Now (2007)
- Corn Breeding for Quality (2003)
- Biological Control of Soybean Aphid (2003)
- Triticale- Is This My Beautiful Alternative Crop? (2003)
- Klinge/Tidwell Cropping Systems Analysis (2003)
- Thompson Cropping System Analysis (2003)
- Corn Variety Trials (2002)
- Cropping Systems (2002)
- Organic Soybeans Production Budget (2001)
- Variety Comparisons (2001)
- Variety and Planting Trials (2000)
- Strip Intercropping - Walking and Jumping in a Dry Year (2000)
- 1999 Organic Soybeans Production Budget (2000)
- Variety and Planting Trials (1999)
- IPM and Seed Trials (1999)
- Cropping Systems (1999)
- Strip Intercropping - Taking Advantage (1999)
- Multiple Treatment Variety Trials (1998)
- IPM and Planting Trials (1998)
- Organic and Conventional Corn (1998)
- Strip Harvesting to Manage Potato Leaf Hopper in Alfalfa (1998)
- Fungal Control of Corn Borer (1998)
- Weed Managment Trials (1998)
- Multiple-Treatment Weed and Planting Trials (1998)
- Strip Intercropping (1998)
- Crop Varieties and Engineered Genetics (1997)
- Fungal Control of Corn Borer -- Year Two (1997)
- Optimizing Biotic Mortality to Reduce Insecticide Use in Alfalfa (1997)
- Oats and Seed Firmers (1997)
- Specialty Crop Production Systems (1997)
- First Year experience with Organic Corn (1997)
- More Planting Trials (1997)
- Strip Intercropping: Life on the Edge (1997)
- Variety Trials (1996)
- Dave and Lisa Lubben Profile (1996)
- Planting Trials (1996)
- Paul and Karen Mugge Profile (1996)
- Richard and Sharon Thompson Profile (1996)
- Strip Intercropping: Yields and "Bugs" (1996)
- Rootworms in Strip Intercropping (1996)
- IPM Projects: Learning to Work with the Agricultural Ecosystem (1996)
- Corn Borer Control with the Fungus Beauveria (1996)
- Trichogramma Wasps for European Corn Borer at New Melleray Abbey (1996)
- Improving IPM (1996)
- Testing the Fungus Beauveria on Corn Borer: Three Cooperators Perspectives (1996)
- My Experience with IPM and Biological Control of Alfalfa Weevil and Potato Leafhopper (1996)
- Biologicals (1995)
- Other Seed and Seeding Trials (1995)
- Biological Control of Corn Borer (1995)
- Biological Control of Alfalfa Weevil-1 (1995)
- Biological Control of Alfalfa Weevil- II (1995)
- Strip Intercropping (1995)
- Nitrogen (1994)
- Biologicals and Unconventional Products (1994)
- Corn Population Trials (1994)
- Miscellaneous Trials (1994)
- Narrow Strip Intercropping (1994)
- Miscellaneous Trials (1993)
- Narrow Strip Intercropping (1993)
- Miscellaneous Trials (1992)
- Tillage Trials (1992)
- Narrow Strip Intercropping (1992)
- Other Trials of Interest (1991)
- Narrow Strip Intercropping (1991)
- Nitrogen Trials (1990)
- Oat Trials (1990)
- Tillage (1990)
- And More (1990)
- Nitrogen Experiments (1989)
- Tillage Trials (1989)
- Cover Crops (1989)
- Fall Legume Cover Crops (1988)
- Biological Additions (1988)
- Insecticide (1988)
- What is P.F.I. (1987)
On-Farm Research and Demonstration: Soils
- Fertility Trials (2003)
- Fertility Trials, Field Crops (2002)
- Fertility Trials, Vegetable Crops (2002)
- Fertility Paradigms (2001)
- Nitrogen and Seed Treatment Trials (2000)
- Manure and Compost (2000)
- Starter Fertilizer (2000)
- Fertility Paradigms (2000)
- Nitrogen (1999)
- Other Fertility Research (1999)
- Fertility Paradigms (1999)
- Nitrogen (1998)
- Manure Trials (1998)
- More Fertility Trials (1998)
- Deep Banding--One Year Later (1997)
- Livestock Manure--Crop Response and Economics (1997)
- Manure Source Trial at the Ken Rosmann Farm (1997)
- Nitrogen (1997)
- P, K, and Lime (1996)
- N and Manure (1996)
- Berseem Clover Before Corn (1995)
- Using the Late Spring Test (1995)
- Purchased Manure (1995)
- Deep Banding (1995)
- Manure and Planter Row Fertilizer (1995)
- Banded Fertilizers (1994)
- Nitrogen (1993)
- Manure Trials (1993)
- Starter and Fertilizer Placement Trials (1993)
- Other Fertilizer Trials (1993)
- Nitrogen (1992)
- Late Season Stalk Nitrate Test (1992)
- Manure Trials (1992)
- Starter Fertilizer Trials (1992)
- Biological Soil Amendments (1992)
- Other Fertility Trials (1992)
- Nitrogen (1991)
- Manure (1991)
- Starter Fertilizers (1991)
- Phosphorus and Potassium and Deep Banding (1991)
- Manure (1990)
- Other Fertility Trials (1990)
- Other Fertility Demonstrations (1989)
- Nitrogen Experiments (1988)
- Side Dress Liquid Manure (1988)
- Nutrient Tie Up (1988)
- Food Grade Fertilizers (1998)
On-Farm Research and Demonstration: Weed Management
- Weed and Cover Crops (2004-07)
- Let Sleeping Weeds Lie (2007)
- Cover Crops with reconfigured Ridge-till (2003)
- Deep Tillage (2003)
- Weed Management (2002)
- Assorted Questions (2001)
- Weeds-Alternative Approaches (2001)
- Tillage (1999)
- Weed Management Trials (1999)
- Tillage and Weeds (1997)
- Weed Management (1996)
- Weed Management Trials (1995)
- Tillage (1994)
- Weed Management (1994)
- Tillage Trials (1993)
- Weed Management Trials (1993)
- Weed Trials (1992)
- Forage, Cover Cropping, and Weed Management (1992)
- Weed Management Trials (1991)
- Cover Crops (1991)
- Cover Crop Trials (1990)
- Weed Trials (1990)
- Weed Control Trials (1989)
- Other PFI Trials (1989)
- Herbicide Experiments (1988)
- Weed Counts (1988)
Additional Field Crops Resources
Cropping Systems
Soils
Weed Management
Bioenergy
Funding for PFI's Field Crops programming comes from:
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
USDA's Agricultural Research Service
SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education)
Iowa State University Department of Agronomy
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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Sarah Carlson, 305
Program Specialist Cover Crops, Non-GMO Corn, Water Monitoring sarah@practicalfarmers.org
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