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On-Farm Precision Experimentation

Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI) and Alberta Grains are collaborating with producer partners to introduce a new on-farm research method in central Alberta. The project uses the On-Farm Precision Experimentation methodology defined by Data-Intensive Farm Management, focusing on different wheat seed and nitrogen rates over two years.

On-Farm Precision Experimentation Data Chart

The Data-Intensive Farm Management platform uses machine learning to plan and analyze field-scale Latin square or checkerboard plot trials, providing insights into crop yield responses. The Data-Intensive Farm Management project is led by Dr. David Bullock from the University of Illinois, who has been conducting field trials using this method since 2016.

Project Goals

  • Test if the methodology inherent in the Data-Intensive Farm Management tool is valid, efficient and effective to conduct on-farm precision experiment trials in Alberta through the on-farm trial question: What is the optimal seeding and fertilization application rate, and does this optimal rate change significantly within a field?

  • Provide a recommendation on how Data-Intensive Farm Management can be a valid approach to generate regional recommendations by aggregating individual field data from multiple locations and multiple years.

Funders/Partners: RDAR, Alberta Grains

Evaluation of On-Farm Precision Experimentation (OFPE) Methodology in 2024

Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI) and Alberta Grains have teamed up with producer partners to study a new on-farm research method in central Alberta. The two-year research project is using On-Farm Precision Experimentation (OFPE)—a methodology defined by Data-Intensive Farm Management (DIFM)—to test various wheat seed and nitrogen rates. It is being funded by Alberta’s Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) agency.

View 2024 Fact Sheet

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