Looking Beyond Yield
Tools for producers to capture and communicate the results of their soil health experiments in the semi-arid High Plains.
Beyond Yield is a project funded through Western SARE that strives to integrate producer-led on-farm research and outreach to develop a comprehensive understanding of the linkages between soil health practices and indicators, net profitability, and barriers to adoption for Historically Underserved (HU) producers.
Project Results and Outcomes
Field work
Field days and outreach
Lab work
Project reports
Final Report
Coming Soon
Full Technical Report
Coming Soon
Case studies and educational resources
Growing Groups
When farmers team up under a single brand, they can meet the needs of bigger buyers. This case study of Golden Prairie walks through what’s involved so you can decide if it’s a good fit for you, your farm, and your family.
KBFA's Growing Group Flyer
Grow with KBFA: Join the new Growing Group!
Tackling chemical-resistant kochia with less chemical
Coming soon ------------------------------ Exploring using minimal, "true-vertical" tillage using the Cursebuster machine, to address chemical-resistant kochia.
Diverse, grazed cover crops in Central Kansas
Coming soon
Peer-reviewed journal articles (coming soon)
The Tea Bag Index paper
Coming soon
How academia can collaborate better with producers
Coming soon
Lauren's Master's thesis
Coming soon
Project Objectives
Soil Health Indicators
Identify most relevant soil health indicators for semi-arid cropping systems.
Historically Underserved
Soil Health Support
Identify systemic barriers and effective support strategies for historically underserved (HU) producers.
Experimentor App
Create a tool for producers to quantify and communicate the results of experiments.
Producer Networking
Facilitate producer-to-producer learning networks and knowledge sharing.
Collaborators
- Lauren Hafford, Grad Student
- Dr. Meagan Schipanski, Co-PI
- Ron Meyer, CSU Extension
- Dr. JohnElla Holmes, Co-PI
- Roger Fragua, NGO Representative
Beyond Yield partners with 10 producers in Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico to support research and soil health experimentation in arid regions. A subset of producers will also participate in research related to identifying system barriers to adoption for Historically Underserved producers.
Communications
Compost workshop (8/7/24)
Doug Steffen taught participants about composting: how to build a pile, and how to evaluate the quality using microscopes. Doug is a regenerative farmer and grazer from NE Nebraska and graduate of the Elaine Ingham Soil Food Web course. Curtis Sayles taught participants how to make compost extract and apply it to broad acres. Curtis is a regenerative farmer in Seibert, CO who uses the compost extract on his organic no-till acres. Using microscopes, participants were able to analyze and evaluate compost samples that they brought from home.
Resources:
Producer-Led Soil Health Research Project Funded
Colorado State University is pleased to announce a successful Western SARE grant award that will focus on producer led on-farm research and farmer-to-farmer learning networks to address social, economic and agronomic barriers to High Plains regenerative agriculture, with a specific focus on addressing barriers for historically underserved producers. Read more…