NDSU Extension Seeking on-Farm Research Participants

Feb 21, 2025

The North Dakota On-Farm Research Network, in partnership with the University of Illinois Data-Intensive Farm Management program, is inviting farmers to participate in on-farm research during the 2025 growing season. The research will focus on variable-rate nitrogen application in corn and hard red spring wheat within soil health management systems. Fields no-tilled for 10 years or longer qualify as soil health management systems.

This research serves as a pilot project for the ND-OFRN, says Rob Proulx, NDSU Extension agriculture technology systems specialist and ND-OFRN coordinator.

“There has been interest in on-farm research within NDSU Extension and among our stakeholders for many years,” says Proulx. “With this pilot project, the ND-OFRN team aims to learn valuable lessons we can use to grow and expand the ND-OFRN.”

Participating farmers will receive a financial incentive for implementing the trial and be fully reimbursed for treatments that lose money, such as yields lost due to zero N rates, making this a risk-free opportunity. The research will be implemented entirely with precision agriculture equipment, and each farmer will receive an individualized report at the end of the season.

Requirements for participation are access to variable-rate fertilizer application equipment, a grain combine with both a calibrated yield monitor and yield mapping capability and at least one field in a no-till system for the past 10 years or longer.

Source : ndsu.edu

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.