‘On-Farm trials’ is a broad term that represents a range of ways to ask and answer applied questions in agriculture. The questions asked are driven by motivations as diverse as Eastern Washington farm fields. Constantly emerging products, technologies, and challenges lend themselves to the question ‘will this work on my farm’? At the same time, everchanging economic, weather, and social environments encourage innovation around principles and processes that underlie management goals to make farms more resilient in the face of fluctuating conditions. Sometimes, it’s just fun to try something new and keep things interesting.
The On-Farm Trials podcast explores various perspectives on the how, why, and what of trying things on the farm in the inland Pacific Northwest (iPNW) dryland grain region. Different questions invite different approaches for seeking answers, as seen across the benchmarks in the spectrum of on-farm trials represented below. Though, as we hear from the guests, usually, asking questions leads to more questions.
Growers, on the farm, are the center of every conversation on The On-Farm Trials podcast. The interviews feature innovation on iPNW cropland that represent historic and current practices, from the legacy of the adoption of no-till and crop diversification to spot spray technology and cover crops. Guests from across the iPNW–the Camas Prairie to Bickleton, Ritzville to North Douglas County–describe their motivations, opportunities, and limitations to trying new things, translating practices from other cropping systems, how they evaluate if they want to try something again, the layout, tracking, and comparisons they use when trying something new, and what they’ve learned from the inevitable unintended consequences.
With one season of twice-monthly episodes already in the books, there’s a great archive of stories from the farms of the iPNW that has surpassed over 5000 local listens. Season 2 is already full of valuable insights, unique perspectives, and experiences from a collective of hundreds of crop-years of wisdom learned through trials on the farm from this region’s ag community. The On-Farm Trials podcast enables listeners to peek over the ‘neighbor’s’ fence line across the region from the comfort of the tractor, while hearing firsthand from guests about their commitment to progressing their farming practices.
If you’re interested in hearing more about on-farm trials on iPNW grain farms, don’t miss the great episodes that will be coming out in season 2, available every other week on the PNW Farmers’ Network website or wherever you listen to podcasts.
In the first ‘pre-season short’ and first full episodes of Season 2 we hear from Jason and Jill Bishop of Living Heritage Farm in Edwall, Washington. In the ‘short episode’ Jason and Jill describe their coming back to the farm and working to build out value-added direct marketing enterprises to supplement and support their family on the farm. Hear their experiences ranging from specialty beef to seed increases from the Einkorn heritage grain patch started in their suburban Seattle backyard. The following episode with Living Heritage farm dives deeper into the agronomic on-farm trials as their farm succession increases the acres they are farming.
The work of the On-Farm Trials podcast would not be possible without the contribution of the guests who have shared their stories and whose participation has been sincerely appreciated along with the support of the USDA-ARS. If you like what you hear, please remember to tell a friend.
Carol McFarland is no longer with WSU. For questions or comments, contact us at small.grains@wsu.edu.