Farmers are already experimenting. Are researchers ready to join them?

Precision agriculture technologies help farmers collect and use detailed information about their fields, transforming how they manage their operations. These technologies make it possible to identify optimal site-specific practices, creating opportunities to improve both farm profitability and environmental stewardship. 

While these technologies offer many advantages, less is known about whether farmers want to use them for on-farm experiments or work with researchers on those efforts. Better understanding farmers’ interests and motivations can help build stronger partnerships and encourage more practical, farmer-driven research.

This study surveyed Midwestern farmers about their use of precision agriculture tools, their experience conducting on-farm experiments, and their willingness to collaborate with researchers. Most respondents said that these technologies help them make better management decisions, and more than 75% already conduct experiments on their farms. Nearly all respondents who experiment use precision agriculture tools, and almost half expressed interest in working with researchers.

These findings suggest significant opportunities to build stronger connections between farmers and researchers, which could speed up the development of practical solutions to the economic and environmental challenges facing agriculture.