On-farm trials are an easy way for farmers to learn how practices, products and equipment will work in their cropping systems. The concept of on-farm trials has been around for decades, with farmers placing rows or strips of different practices within their fields for comparison. On-farm trials are easier to conduct now with assistance from formalized on-farm trial programs and the use of GPS and precision technologies.

The objective behind an on-farm trial is to evaluate production practices under realistic growing conditions. Ultimately, p8roperly designed on-farm trials are used to predict responses to products, practices and technologies when used in the same or neighboring fields.

Additionally, on-farm trials are used to validate small plot research with larger field-scale evaluations. On-farm trials are the citizen science for farmers.

Farmers conducting on-farm trials shares results from many sites within a region and across years; and better understanding how management decisions interact with weather and soil variability for improved profitability.