Nebraska ON Farm Research Question and Answer

University of Nebraska – Lincoln Author

08/31/2020 Added

3 Plays

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Question and Answer session with Ron Seymour, Sarah Sivits, Laura Thompson, Todd Whitney and Joe Luck, Chuck Burr, moderator.
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[00:00:12.390]Any comments, Laura?
[00:00:15.130]You are in charge of On-Farm Research.
[00:00:17.090]You want to make any comments about that?
[00:00:18.787]What you do, what you all get involved in?
[00:00:22.020]Yeah, I think there's been a lot
[00:00:23.130]of really great presentations
[00:00:24.850]just showing the breadth of topics
[00:00:27.730]and different ways that people are involved
[00:00:29.540]in on-farm research.
[00:00:30.690]So a lot of great opportunities.
[00:00:33.880]I think it's really been highlighted already
[00:00:35.530]in the presentations here,
[00:00:36.810]but a lot of educators and specialists
[00:00:39.750]willing to work with farmers
[00:00:41.100]to help them conduct on-farm research,
[00:00:44.090]and that can look quite different
[00:00:45.400]depending on what everyone's questions are,
[00:00:47.570]what might be relevant for their operation.
[00:00:49.690]But I think that's really the strength of this
[00:00:51.810]is that we're able to customize
[00:00:54.340]and really work one-on-one to answer questions
[00:00:57.080]and get really good, solid data-driven information.
[00:01:01.140]So hopefully we get some good questions here,
[00:01:03.830]but I think we've had a lot of,
[00:01:05.750]a really great overview of the value
[00:01:08.900]of on-farm research here.
[00:01:10.660]Yeah, just want to put a plug in for Laura.
[00:01:13.410]She really understands the technology
[00:01:15.330]and I've been involved in some on-farm research studies here
[00:01:17.771]and I can turn on a yield monitor and that's about it.
[00:01:20.730]So I appreciate Laura being able to take the files
[00:01:24.220]and extracting the data and running the analytics on that.
[00:01:26.477]And I know Joe can do that as well.
[00:01:28.740]He's pretty technology savvy too.
[00:01:30.690]So Joe, any comments from you?
[00:01:36.400]Oh, nothing much to add.
[00:01:38.000]Just, you know, this is we're seeing a lot of the companies
[00:01:42.400]that work in the data space
[00:01:43.800]that are trying to make these kind of tools easier
[00:01:47.300]for folks to use.
[00:01:48.480]And so my opinion is this is kind of the way
[00:01:53.810]we can teach people to fish
[00:01:55.578]and start answering some of these questions on their own.
[00:01:58.980]And it's just gonna become more and more prevalent
[00:02:01.740]in the tools available to do this in the future
[00:02:03.940]so the sooner folks can get their feet wet in there
[00:02:06.810]and kinda start asking some questions and stuff like that,
[00:02:09.513]I think the better.
[00:02:10.760]So it's good stuff!
[00:02:12.460]Okay, thank you.
[00:02:14.120]Ron, you had a couple of producers on there.
[00:02:16.420]Brandon and David.
[00:02:18.730]I know they're pretty positive.
[00:02:20.210]Other producers you've worked with in the Adams County area?
[00:02:24.043]Yeah, I have, a couple, three people
[00:02:26.180]that I'm working with in Adams.
[00:02:29.150]We're looking at some soybean rate studies.
[00:02:32.720]We're looking at nitrogen application in soybeans.
[00:02:38.780]And interesting, you know,
[00:02:40.230]I've done work with a number of farmers
[00:02:42.980]over the years on these.
[00:02:44.040]I had one farmer that was pretty interested
[00:02:46.030]and we'd try some different products
[00:02:47.880]and he kinda quit because he's going,
[00:02:49.677]"I'm so disappointed
[00:02:50.987]"that I keep getting these negative results."
[00:02:53.870]I'm going, "Well, negative results are really good
[00:02:56.697]"because without those results,
[00:02:58.867]"you would have done this treatment
[00:03:00.407]"and may not have known whether it made a difference
[00:03:03.197]"for you or not."
[00:03:04.760]And so I keep trying to encourage some people
[00:03:09.860]to keep working on these techniques.
[00:03:12.420]And I really, as I was watching,
[00:03:14.730]I really appreciated some of the data
[00:03:18.610]that Dr. Luck showed
[00:03:22.400]with the very building in the fields
[00:03:24.090]and why we want the replication
[00:03:27.380]and how it's really not that hard,
[00:03:30.340]but it is so important to do
[00:03:32.620]because if you don't have the replication or randomization,
[00:03:36.240]you may get some results that you didn't expect
[00:03:39.570]or didn't really show you the real picture.
[00:03:42.700]So just some comments that I had there.
[00:03:44.850]Great, thanks Ron.
[00:03:46.370]Sarah, you were involved in a couple of those videos.
[00:03:51.780]Yeah, I've really enjoyed working with producers
[00:03:54.530]across the area, as well as Laura
[00:03:56.970]and the rest of the On-Farm Research Network Team
[00:03:59.170]and Dr. Luck.
[00:04:01.010]And it's been good.
[00:04:04.200]This year has been a very busy year
[00:04:06.280]and we've got several different studies throughout our area.
[00:04:09.900]Don Beatty's actually on the call today.
[00:04:13.380]So I really appreciate his input
[00:04:16.440]and being willing to do the video and everything.
[00:04:19.990]But yeah, it's been fun to do variable rate seedings
[00:04:22.490]and population studies,
[00:04:23.630]and getting to work with producers all across the region.
[00:04:27.180]It's been fascinating to see the questions that they have.
[00:04:31.230]Great, you mentioned Don.
[00:04:32.680]Don, if you can hear us,
[00:04:34.300]you can turn your microphone on and camera on,
[00:04:37.530]then we can see ya,
[00:04:38.430]and see if you have any additional comments
[00:04:40.170]you'd like to make.
[00:04:53.900]Okay while he's working on that,
[00:04:55.260]Todd, any comments yet?
[00:04:56.850]Quite a couple of different videos there.
[00:04:59.250]A couple of different demonstrations about nitrogen
[00:05:02.050]and trying to keep nitrogen in the soil
[00:05:03.820]where we apply it so it doesn't leave the field
[00:05:06.610]either surface or end up in the groundwater.
[00:05:10.210]Yeah, I really think our team
[00:05:13.050]is working together on this nitrogen cycle.
[00:05:15.540]How can we help keep environmental perspective there
[00:05:21.740]so that we are doing the best we can?
[00:05:24.110]Also, trying to keep people abreast about the cost.
[00:05:29.380]And I really appreciated our first speaker this morning,
[00:05:32.660]kind of talking about there's technology we can use,
[00:05:35.600]but we have to be aware that it's gotta pay.
[00:05:38.060]And that's, I think,
[00:05:38.893]that the system that we're trying to work with
[00:05:41.640]is we have a lot of livestock in our state,
[00:05:45.320]have a lot of (indistinct) we could use.
[00:05:48.550]How can we best place it
[00:05:49.840]so that it's giving us the best return that way?
[00:05:55.060]I guess when I talk to producers
[00:05:56.990]about doin' on-farm research, they're like,
[00:05:58.697]"Well, I don't have the time for that.
[00:06:00.177]"You know, once I get planting and during the season,
[00:06:02.467]"I'm really busy."
[00:06:03.320]So Laura, or Joe, could you respond to that?
[00:06:05.760]How treatments and prescriptions
[00:06:07.320]could be set up ahead of time
[00:06:08.610]to reduce how much time it takes
[00:06:10.450]once they get into the field with a planter,
[00:06:12.740]or other applicators?
[00:06:21.950]Yeah, I can comment.
[00:06:23.380]I think what Joe had shared
[00:06:26.070]really highlights it really well,
[00:06:27.740]how some of the technology that we have available
[00:06:31.040]can really help streamline the process,
[00:06:35.110]especially during the critical rush times
[00:06:39.660]of planting and harvest.
[00:06:41.810]So those prescriptions that he showed,
[00:06:45.340]that's prepared in advance and loaded into the monitor.
[00:06:48.190]And then when planting time rolls around
[00:06:51.020]things hopefully happen pretty seamlessly
[00:06:53.940]and kinda as planting is occurring.
[00:06:56.260]So I'm not really taking any additional time,
[00:07:00.760]especially in those cases where we have that technology,
[00:07:03.440]we're not having to stop and change settings
[00:07:06.010]or make additional adjustments while we're planting.
[00:07:10.740]So things happen pretty seamlessly.
[00:07:12.570]And then of course, for most of our studies
[00:07:15.600]with yield monitoring technology
[00:07:17.050]that can really speed up the process.
[00:07:20.220]We're not having to necessarily stop and use a weigh wagon
[00:07:23.550]and kind of slow down the harvest process.
[00:07:26.680]Things can usually happen pretty much on the go.
[00:07:30.220]So I think that really can be helpful,
[00:07:33.600]just alleviating any additional time constraints
[00:07:37.780]during those already really busy times
[00:07:39.360]of planting and harvest.
[00:07:42.082]So, I think the value of the information
[00:07:44.084]is what you've gotta kind of weigh
[00:07:46.250]against some additional time requirements
[00:07:49.070]and what that information is worth to you
[00:07:50.717]and your operation.
[00:07:53.540]But it's been interesting to me
[00:07:54.930]to see how you can take those as planted files
[00:07:58.070]and match that up with a yield monitor
[00:07:59.770]at the end of the year
[00:08:00.603]and pull those yields out of the field,
[00:08:03.060]again, without a lota time for the producer to do that,
[00:08:06.390]and then be able to run the statistics on it
[00:08:08.220]and see if there truly is a difference.
[00:08:09.750]So, Ron, I know you've been involved for quite a few years.
[00:08:13.640]Maybe what's the most interesting study
[00:08:15.880]you've been involved with?
[00:08:18.720]Well, one of the ones that was most interesting
[00:08:22.070]is we did one applying compost tea to field
[00:08:27.930]and huge applicator out there carrying the solution
[00:08:33.280]of composted, or water that had compost material in it,
[00:08:39.900]and applying it out there.
[00:08:41.210]And this is one of them
[00:08:44.200]that didn't really show the kind of results
[00:08:47.658]that the farmer had hoped for,
[00:08:49.750]but it was pretty interesting to study, to do that.
[00:08:52.970]And yeah, when the, not the farmer,
[00:08:58.610]but the industry cooperator brought the product,
[00:09:05.020]he brought it in a big grain truck
[00:09:08.329]and blew out some tires on the way 'cause it was so heavy.
[00:09:11.461](laughs)
[00:09:12.294]But, yeah, it was a pretty interesting study.
[00:09:14.790]Okay, Sarah, same question for you.
[00:09:16.960]You've been involved for four or five, six years now also.
[00:09:21.130]I think in the time I've been in extension, honestly,
[00:09:25.530]I've really enjoyed working on the downforce studies
[00:09:28.680]that we had video today.
[00:09:31.336]That was my first time ever doing emergence counts.
[00:09:34.914]So that was definitely interesting to see over time.
[00:09:38.950]And we got a frost in there too.
[00:09:41.210]And so that entire field,
[00:09:42.760]since both studies are set up in the same field,
[00:09:45.790]just to see the differences in there.
[00:09:49.160]But yeah, it's been really interesting
[00:09:52.617]and you can see in my face,
[00:09:54.730]I had to take root digs last year on one study
[00:09:58.150]that was a biological study.
[00:09:59.820]And I learned a lot about root digs.
[00:10:01.870]I broke a shovel in the process!
[00:10:03.750]So, but yeah, it's been great.
[00:10:06.900]So Sarah, a good comment there
[00:10:09.060]about us coming out and collecting data,
[00:10:12.030]maybe not expecting the farmer
[00:10:13.790]to do all of the data collection.
[00:10:15.400]We're out there with them collecting data
[00:10:18.290]and then getting it analyzed as well.
[00:10:20.390]So good comment there.
[00:10:22.160]Todd, what's been your favorite on-farm research study?
[00:10:26.130]The weak link study has probably been my favorite
[00:10:29.350]'cause I've had so much feedback from that
[00:10:31.640]of people that wanted to know
[00:10:34.720]what would be the best timing
[00:10:36.320]for when they should pull their sample.
[00:10:38.420]So it gave me a chance to visit with some Piedmont people
[00:10:42.010]in the person was getting in the area here too.
[00:10:45.554]Okay. Laura, maybe just comment
[00:10:47.850]on a soybean seeding rate studies
[00:10:49.660]that have been done over the years.
[00:10:51.050]I've done a couple of them out here, you know,
[00:10:53.150]Lincoln and Keith County,
[00:10:54.870]but a lot of those studies been done over the years.
[00:10:58.990]Yeah, there have been.
[00:11:01.548]I'm trying to think, maybe about 15 or 20 or more
[00:11:05.050]of those studies.
[00:11:06.360]So a really nice status set
[00:11:07.690]that we've been able to bring all that data together then,
[00:11:10.900]and kinda see what the trends are across the state
[00:11:13.630]and for everyone who's participated.
[00:11:17.490]So a lot of the rates that people were testing
[00:11:19.810]ranged from around 90 or 100,000, up to around 180,000.
[00:11:27.400]On those studies, in most cases,
[00:11:29.330]we were able to find that producers could use a seeding rate
[00:11:33.560]around that 110, 120
[00:11:36.400]and not have any significant yield difference.
[00:11:40.980]And of course reducing their seeding rate
[00:11:42.880]from maybe 160 or 180,000 down to that 110 or 120,000
[00:11:50.000]really can have an economic impact as well there.
[00:11:54.510]So that's been pretty consistent results.
[00:11:56.460]Most of those studies were done on 30 inch row spacing.
[00:12:00.800]A lot of them in the central region,
[00:12:03.640]as Chuck mentioned, kind of expanded some of those,
[00:12:06.660]I think, last year or the last two years
[00:12:08.910]into your region a little bit more.
[00:12:11.880]Nathan Mueller and I worked on some in Eastern Nebraska
[00:12:15.960]in kind of the Norfolk and Fall City,
[00:12:18.710]or not Norfolk, Fremont,
[00:12:20.550]Fremont and Fall City areas on 15 inch row spacing
[00:12:24.290]trying to just take that same set up
[00:12:26.650]and see if it also would get similar results
[00:12:30.250]in a little different management practice,
[00:12:32.960]and also got very similar results.
[00:12:34.710]So across the board, really positive results
[00:12:37.970]and really consistent results on those studies.
[00:12:40.910]Great, thanks, that made me think of another question
[00:12:44.130]for you, Laura,
[00:12:45.190]about partners with the on-farm research, like TerrAvion,
[00:12:48.470]providing imagery and things like that,
[00:12:50.600]additional resources to producers
[00:12:52.840]when they participate with plots.
[00:12:56.410]Yeah, yeah, so in a lot of cases this last year,
[00:12:59.810]or the last few years, we've been able to provide imagery.
[00:13:05.007]TerrAvion would be an airplane imagery service,
[00:13:07.380]or sometimes we look at using satellite imagery
[00:13:10.500]through Planet Labs as well.
[00:13:13.030]And those can be really helpful
[00:13:16.330]just in multiple ways,
[00:13:18.470]but one in just validating that things happened
[00:13:21.390]as we intended for them to happen,
[00:13:23.180]that the treatments got out
[00:13:24.770]and that we're not having some substantial issues,
[00:13:27.170]you know, a spot flooded out or some damage.
[00:13:31.700]It's also been really helpful
[00:13:32.920]in seeing different treatment differences.
[00:13:34.700]So in something like the soybean studies
[00:13:38.840]on some soybean row spacing studies,
[00:13:40.860]we could really see differences
[00:13:42.630]in row canopy closure on those,
[00:13:45.420]the impact of wheel traffic, or wheel tracks from spraying
[00:13:49.460]in different row spacings of soybeans.
[00:13:51.990]So some of those things really have showed up nicely
[00:13:53.960]in the aerial imagery.
[00:13:54.810]And of course our nutrient studies as well
[00:13:57.820]can really benefit from the imagery.
[00:14:00.030]So things like nitrogen studies,
[00:14:02.530]we're able to see treatment differences
[00:14:05.600]that may occur during the growing season
[00:14:08.800]that we don't have to just wait until harvest
[00:14:12.220]and the yield data we can see when that nitrogen deficiency
[00:14:15.920]or differences really started showing up,
[00:14:17.610]and if those are specific to different areas of the field.
[00:14:20.090]So, I guess, one other example related to that,
[00:14:24.350]in one case we had a study
[00:14:25.760]that was looking at all upfront nitrogen application
[00:14:28.850]and then partially a split application with a side dress.
[00:14:33.930]And in that study,
[00:14:34.920]we were able to use the imagery to really tell
[00:14:38.070]that in one specific soil type,
[00:14:40.533]that side dress application really benefited the grower,
[00:14:43.460]particularly in those areas.
[00:14:45.020]So really helpful to see,
[00:14:47.700]across their operations operation,
[00:14:49.410]then they can kind of start to know
[00:14:51.190]these are the soils that are really gonna benefit more
[00:14:53.500]from having a side dress application.
[00:14:55.120]These are the ones that are losing more nitrogen potentially
[00:14:58.390]when I just do an upfront only application.
[00:15:01.600]So that's been one kind of benefit and advantage
[00:15:04.540]that we've had in doing some partnerships
[00:15:06.280]like with TerrAvion,
[00:15:07.360]and happy to be able to provide that
[00:15:09.400]as kind of an incentive or a nice addition
[00:15:12.640]for the farmers who are participating as well.
[00:15:15.520]Great, just put a plug in for my area, I guess.
[00:15:19.020]A year ago, we did some chelated iron
[00:15:22.130]started our fertilizer treatments on soybeans
[00:15:24.670]on some of the Valley areas here.
[00:15:26.600]And then once you get South, you know,
[00:15:27.970]down closer to the Republican River,
[00:15:29.850]some iron chlorosis issues with soybeans.
[00:15:32.640]So we did a study here, several of 'em.
[00:15:35.510]We actually had one that showed a positive increase in yield
[00:15:40.400]that paid for the treatment.
[00:15:41.920]I plan to do those again next year
[00:15:44.110]with the crop rotation comin' around,
[00:15:45.760]they'll be back onto those fields of soybeans again.
[00:15:47.880]So if you're interested in doing a study like that,
[00:15:50.700]or any other studies,
[00:15:52.560]get a hold of one of us or your local extension office.
[00:15:55.360]They can let you know who your local crops educator is
[00:15:58.760]and then we can get something set up.
[00:16:01.140]If you want to do it when you're thinking, you know,
[00:16:02.670]driving in the combine, harvestin'
[00:16:04.230]and say, "Hey, I wonder what would happen if we do this",
[00:16:06.260]give us a call.
[00:16:07.093]We'll call you back in November, December,
[00:16:09.260]when things slow down for you a little bit.
[00:16:11.150]You can get things planned out.
[00:16:12.370]So any additional comments from the presenters
[00:16:15.210]or anybody of the participants want to turn their mics on
[00:16:18.340]and ask a question?
[00:16:26.730]I think everybody's gettin' hungry.
[00:16:28.220]It's past lunchtime for me,
[00:16:29.610]so I think we'll close this, draw this to a close.
[00:16:33.130]Appreciate all of our participants bein' with us today,
[00:16:36.010]all of our presenters
[00:16:36.970]in the On-Farm Research Network session.
[00:16:40.590]We will be sending out a survey probably next week.
[00:16:43.840]I'll get that sent out to an email to you.
[00:16:45.870]We ask you to fill that out,
[00:16:47.290]let us know what you thought about the conference today.
[00:16:49.830]Also, we will get all these videos posted
[00:16:52.540]on a media hub channel through IAANR Media,
[00:16:56.510]and we'll provide links for that as well.
[00:16:58.150]So if you want to go back and watch one of the videos again,
[00:17:01.160]or maybe catch one of 'em and the other sessions
[00:17:03.050]you weren't able to watch,
[00:17:04.300]you should be able to go to that agenda
[00:17:05.810]and click on those links and check it out.
[00:17:07.790]So from that, thanks to our sponsors and donors this year,
[00:17:11.620]we really appreciate them.
[00:17:12.950]And thanks for joining us today.
[00:17:14.400]Have a good day!

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Nebraska ON Farm Research Question and Answer

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