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Lessons Learned From On-Farm Demonstrations to Implement Conservation Tillage

Lessons Learned From On-Farm Demonstrations to Implement Conservation Tillage. Jim Stiegler Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK. Farmers Perception of Conservation Tillage. Complex system with challenging production practices

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Lessons Learned From On-Farm Demonstrations to Implement Conservation Tillage

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  1. Lessons Learned From On-Farm Demonstrations to Implement Conservation Tillage Jim Stiegler Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK

  2. Farmers Perception of Conservation Tillage • Complex system with challenging production practices • Difficult to understand and requires a high level of management skill • Involves new equipment and herbicides that are costly • Crop yields, profits, and return on investment are lower • Not compatible with existing ideas and beliefs • Others

  3. How do we as “educators” address these concerns? How do we speed up the time lag between farmers hearing about a practice and adopting it as part of their production? Before we can discuss on-farm demonstrations, we need to look at where these activities fit into the ADOPTION PROCESS!!

  4. Stages of the Adoption Process • Awareness • Interest-Information • Evaluation-Application-Decision • Trial • Adoption

  5. Is there a problem? Awareness

  6. Is there a problem? Awareness

  7. Does the farmer have any control? Understand the value of crop residue: Wind erosion Water erosion Runoff Infiltration Evaporation Soil temperature Organic matter Crop yield Awareness

  8. Things that work!! • Meetings • Demonstrations • Tours • Field days • Rainfall simulator

  9. Education meetings Interest-Information

  10. University research studies Interest-Information

  11. Rainfall simulator Interest-Information

  12. EquipmentDemonstration Drill/Planters Tillage Evaluation-Application-Decision

  13. Evaluation-Application-Decision

  14. Innovative farmer Evaluation-Application-Decision

  15. Trial types: *Strips *Large blocks *Multi-function *Replicated Trial

  16. Replicated small plots Trial

  17. Involve the producer! Work with him and his equipment!*Practices must be “do”-able. *Time, and cost effective. *Profitable. Adoption

  18. No-till soybeans Adoption

  19. THINGS TO REMEMBER • Demonstrations are a powerful teaching tool! • “Activity” is more successful than “Function” in speeding up adoption! • Key, innovative farmers need to be identified to help sell conservation tillage -they can serve as spokesmen for University personnel! • Don’t get things too complex! • Partnerships!

  20. Row-till cotton “What a man hears, he may doubt What he sees, he may possibly doubt What he does himself, he believes.” Seaman Knapp

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