What’s involved in hosting an on-farm trial?
You establish the trial using your equipment by following a randomized and replicated trial layout we provide. Strips typically run the length of the field, excluding headlands and are at least as wide as one combine pass. You manage the trial the same as you would the rest of the field. We provide support at trial establishment and harvest. We scout the field regularly and collect relevant data throughout the growing season. In the fall, you receive a short report summarizing analyzed trial results and economics.
What’s the time commitment of hosting one of these trials?
It starts with a conversation, what are you interested in testing? From there, the two main time commitments are at trial establishment (either at seeding or spraying, depending on the trial) and at harvest. Some trials are easier and quicker to establish than others. At harvest, each strip needs to be individually unloaded and weighed. This can add an extra 1 to 2 hours to your traditional field harvest.
Trial types include investigating seeding rates, row spacings, double vs. single inoculant, single vs. no inoculant, seed treatments, fertilizer rates, fungicide applications and biological products. Want to test something else on your farm? Contact our On-Farm Network Agronomist, Chris Forsythe at Chris@manitobapulse.ca
Curious about last year’s On-Farm Network results? Find them below!
