Location: Northwest Sustainable Agroecosystems Research
Project Number: 2090-11000-010-011-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2022
End Date: May 31, 2027
Objective:
Objectives: (1) develop and coordinate a farmer-oriented research network that supports fundamental and applied aspects of the Herbicide Resistance Initiative; (2) aid farmer network outreach activities including planning of workshops, meetings and related outreach materials; (3) promote on-farm and experiment station research capacity that leads to more diversified and intensified farming systems, reduced reliance on herbicides for weed management, and reduces the risks and production losses from weeds, especially herbicide-resistant weeds.
Approach:
Advance co-production of knowledge among farmers, researchers and other stakeholders by developing and coordinating a farmer network utilizing innovative and new approaches that promote impactful research. Furthermore, efforts will evaluate and report outcomes and impacts to stakeholders utilizing traditional and novel methods. Successful on-farm research requires: (1) the identification of local challenges that farmers relate to and will support; and (2) the development of testable hypotheses and an executable experimental design. To accomplish the former, the Washington State University (WSU)-Farmers Network and university extension centers that represent diverse dryland cropping systems will be further augmented. One approach that will be used is establishment of a co-innovation storyboard agenda to quantify stakeholder reactions to ongoing research and document a consensus to direct future experimental trials and trial locations. Data will be collected and archived after every meeting to keep a record of how ideas change over time. To accomplish the second facet of implementing on-farm research, connections made within the farmer's network will be utilized to identify specific areas for field-scale research trials. Many of the active participants in the WSU Farmers Network are willing to host research on their farms to address concerns agreed upon during member meetings.
