The goal is to continue the impactful collaborative initiative among the NCB, NCGA, NDBC, NSB and UNL Extension, sustaining the success of the network, and developing new tools and technologies to facilitate on-farm research. Rapidly evolving precision agriculture technologies offer great opportunity to elevate on-farm research discovery and data analysis capacity. Emerging interest in professional learning networks, both in person and online, warrant evolving the way we engage growers to remain connected and relevant as we work collectively to move the industry forward.

1. Soybean (and corn) producers will focus on on-farm research primarily on priorities identified by Nebraska Soybean Board and Nebraska Corn Board to enhance knowledge, implementation, and profitability of these practices. This proposal has potential to address FY20 objectives of research on SCN, SDS, insect control, disease control, and fertility management including in-season nitrogen applications (Nebraska Soybean Board priority areas), as well as additional topics. The Nebraska On-Farm Research Network will facilitate, coordinate, and publicize extension specialist and educator efforts related to these research topics across the state.
2. Soybean (and corn) producers will learn to conduct on-farm research more efficiently and prolifically using contemporary precision agriculture technologies, implementation strategies, and data management practices.
3. Soybean (and corn) producers will embrace an interactive professional learning network that facilitates a co-learning environment focused on applied research that contributes to a systems approach to solving agronomic issues at the grass-roots level whereby on-farm research becomes an important, timely, powerful part of soybean (and corn) production solutions.
4. Soybean (and corn) producers will benefit from a unified, collaborative applied research model supported by the Nebraska Soybean Board, Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska Corn Growers Association, and Nebraska Extension.

1. Identify research protocols and data collection processes that leverage on-farm research using contemporary precision agriculture technologies and pursue meaningful research collaborations with extension faculty (2021).
2. Engage NSB in prioritization of on-farm research priorities (2021).
3. Develop relationships with growers that are engaged and interested in on-farm research discoveries (2021).
4. Establish relationships with UNL faculty focused on “big data” management and analysis (2021)
5. Develop relationships with industry professionals allowing for increased collaboration on research projects (2021)
6. Disseminate research results in a variety of modes: web, social media, print, electronic, inperson meetings and field days, and applied academic agronomy journals (2021).
7. Research-based results will be used by soybean (and corn) growers to enhance profitability and sustainability of their respective operations and commodity industries (2021 and beyond).
8. An on-going evaluation assessment of program impact will be developed and implemented annually with a sampling of the NOFRN (2021).

Updated May 19, 2023:

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This proposal will engage both current and future Nebraska soybean (and corn) producers. To remain relevant and attractive we must continuously transform our approaches for engaging next generation producers in applied research.
Rapidly evolving precision agriculture technologies offer great opportunity to elevate on-farm research discovery and data analysis for all producers. Additionally, emerging interest in co-learning environments, both in person and online warrant change in the way we engage producers. Next generation soybean (and corn) producers will be active in conducting and evaluating applied research to inform critical decisions which impact their operations’ overall profitability. Production decisions and debate regarding critical farming issues will happen real-time requiring “just-in-time” learning opportunities.
Finally, producers are obtaining information through a variety of in-person and digital venues. We must embrace this new
era of data discovery, debate, data dissemination, and decision-making that is critical to helping our soybean (and corn)
producers remain competitive leaders in soybean (and corn) production. The professional learning network proposed is
an intergenerational approach to moving the soybean (and corn) industry forward.