This proposal builds upon efforts of the Nebraska Soybean Board’s (NSB) partnership with Nebraska Extension to establish an on-farm research network in 1989 and the partnership with the Nebraska Corn Board (NCB), Nebraska Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and Nebraska Dry Bean Commission (NDBC) to build the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network (NOFRN), 2012-present. The NOFRN utilizes co-learning to provide a highly impactful research and education experience. In 2020, despite COVID related challenges, NOFRN has continued in an upward trajectory; an anticipated 100+ studies will be completed, on par with 2019. The results update meetings are expanding to new geographic locations and continue to be viewed as a unique program featuring excellent interaction and discussion among attendees and educators. Nebraska is being recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in on-farm research.

Farming is a complex business that demands life-long learning and a systems approach to solving problems. On-farm research is an important, timely and powerful part of providing systems-based solutions. Funding to help answer many of the agronomic questions on the minds of producers is not readily available in today’s competitive research funding environment. At the same time, producers who invest in their land-grant university and commodity groups are seeking answers and solutions to issues important to their respective farming operations. Producers are particularly responsive and impacted by research and discovery conducted in their respective fields and by their neighbors and peers.

The goal is to continue the impactful collaborative initiative among the NCB, NCGA, NDBC, NSB and Nebraska Extension, sustaining the success of the network, and developing new tools and technologies to facilitate on-farm research. Rapidly evolving precision agriculture technologies offer great opportunity to elevate on-farm research discovery and data analysis capacity. Emerging interest in professional learning networks, both in person and online, warrant evolving the way we engage growers to remain connected and relevant as we work collectively to move the industry forward.

Continued investment in this program enables a sustained positive trajectory of growth and impact that meets the needs of producers today and in the future. This 21st Century translational and applied research model is leveraging Nebraska agriculture in a global environment. Success will be measured by the innovation, discovery and adoption of proven production practices. Nebraska growers, consultants/advisors, and industry employees attending the 2019 on-farm research update meetings valued the information gained at $17 million.

1. Soybean (and corn) producers will focus on on-farm research primarily on priorities identified by Nebraska Soybean Board and Nebraska Corn Board to enhance knowledge, implementation, and profitability of these practices. This proposal has potential to address FY22 objectives of research on SCN, SDS, insect control, disease control, and fertility management including in-season nitrogen applications (Nebraska Soybean Board priority areas), as well as additional topics. The Nebraska On-Farm Research Network will facilitate, coordinate, and publicize extension specialist and educator efforts related to these research topics across the state.
2. Soybean (and corn) producers will learn to conduct on-farm research more efficiently and prolifically using contemporary precision agriculture technologies, implementation strategies, and data management practices.
3. Soybean (and corn) producers will embrace an interactive professional learning network that facilitates a co-learning environment focused on applied research that contributes to a systems approach to solving agronomic issues at the grass-roots level whereby on-farm research becomes an important, timely, powerful part of soybean (and corn) production solutions.
4. Soybean (and corn) producers will benefit from a unified, collaborative applied research model supported by the Nebraska Soybean Board, Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska Corn Growers Association, and Nebraska Extension.

Timeline and milestones for research:
1. Identify research protocols and data collection processes that leverage on-farm research using contemporary precision agriculture technologies and pursue meaningful research collaborations with UNL faculty (2022).
2. Engage NSB in prioritization of on-farm research priorities (2022).
3. Develop relationships with growers that are engaged and interested in on-farm research discoveries (2022).
4. Establish relationships with UNL faculty focused on “big data” management and analysis (2022)
5. Develop relationships with industry professionals allowing for increased collaboration on research projects (2022)
6. Disseminate research results in a variety of modes: web, social media, print, electronic, in-person meetings and field days, and applied academic agronomy journals (2022).
7. Research-based results will be used by soybean (and corn) growers to enhance profitability and sustainability of their respective operations and commodity industries (2022 and beyond).
8. An on-going evaluation assessment of program impact will be developed and implemented annually with a sampling of the NOFRN (2022).

Technology Transfer:
1. Continued use and development of social media, web-based platforms (including the NOFRN website and new research archive database), mobile app, and multimedia that are conveniently accessed.
2. Commodity Board and Association news releases and member networks.
3. NSB, NCB/NCGA and Nebraska Extension will jointly sponsor annual interactive educational programs to facilitate sharing and dialogue around on-farm research data and results.
4. Share research discoveries at field days, tours, conferences, workshops and online using newly developed tools for research dissemination.
5. Market Journal Television, Extension TV, and traditional media sources (ie. Radio, peer-reviewed applied research journals, and print media).

Updated May 26, 2023:

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This proposal will engage both current and future Nebraska soybean (and corn) producers. To remain relevant and attractive we must continuously transform our approaches for engaging next generation producers in applied research. Rapidly evolving precision agriculture technologies offer great opportunity to elevate on-farm research discovery and data analysis for all producers. Additionally, emerging interest in co-learning environments, both in person and online, warrant change in the way we engage producers. Next generation soybean (and corn) producers will be active in conducting and evaluating applied research to inform critical decisions which impact their operations’ overall profitability. Production decisions and debate regarding critical farming issues will happen real-time requiring “just-in-time” learning opportunities. Finally, producers are obtaining information through a variety of in-person and digital venues. We embrace this new era of data discovery, debate, data dissemination, and decision-making that is critical to helping our soybean (and corn) producers remain competitive leaders in soybean (and corn) production. The professional learning network proposed is an intergenerational approach to moving the soybean (and corn) industry forward.