Growers routinely conduct their own on-farm experiments, testing different seeds and management strategies to improve yields and long-term sustainability. But most growers don’t have the time, resources or expertise that scientists have to fully evaluate their trials, or to put their findings in a format that can benefit other growers.
Louis Longchamps, assistant professor of digital agronomy in the School of Integrative Plant Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and his Farmers DataLab seek to empower farmers by conducting research that is farmer-led and scientist-supported. Here, Longchamps and Katie Rohrbaugh, a graduate student in his lab, explain how they hope that flipping the script on traditional agricultural research could improve public trust in research findings, support responsible agricultural innovation and ultimately benefit food security, environmental quality and rural communities.
