Central ND News

The North Dakota On-Farm Research Network (ND-OFRN), in collaboration with the University of Illinois Data-Intensive Farm Management program, is seeking farmers to join a research initiative for the 2025 growing season. The study will examine variable-rate nitrogen application in corn and hard red spring wheat within soil health management systems. Eligible fields must have been no-tilled for at least a decade.

Rob Proulx, NDSU Extension agriculture technology systems specialist and ND-OFRN coordinator, described the project as a pilot effort. "There has been interest in on-farm research within NDSU Extension and among our stakeholders for many years," Proulx stated. "With this pilot project, the ND-OFRN team aims to learn valuable lessons we can use to grow and expand the ND-OFRN."

Farmers who participate will receive financial incentives for conducting trials and will be reimbursed for any treatments that result in financial loss, such as yields lost due to zero nitrogen rates. This arrangement makes participation risk-free. The research relies entirely on precision agriculture equipment, and each participant will receive a personalized report after the season concludes.

To qualify for participation, farmers need access to variable-rate fertilizer application equipment, a grain combine equipped with both a calibrated yield monitor and yield mapping capability, and at least one field that has been part of a no-till system for ten years or more.