Shane Hartzler on Farmer-led Research: Farmers Listen More to One Another
On a sixth-generation dairy farm in Rittman, Ohio, Shane Hartzler is balancing tradition with a drive to make smarter, more profitable decisions for the future. At Cross Roads Dairy, Hartzler milks about 90 cows on a 300-acre farm that includes pasture. “I enjoy the lifestyle, the challenge of the work, the variety. I get to work with my family, and I really enjoy that.”
Hartzler is part of From The Ground Up’s Northeast Ohio organic research node. In this node, five organic farmers in extended and complex corn and soybean rotations are each comparing the impact of mowing legume cover crops (clover or peas) and incorporating them into the soil, versus harvesting them for animal forage. They are conducting the research at split field scales, replicating the research on two fields each at different stages in the rotation.
“We’re looking into cover crops and how much impact there is between harvesting the cover crop or leaving the cover crop there before we plant corn.”
“I’m hoping that I can figure out if the peas make a big difference in the corn yield… that would help me to be able to grow corn two years in a row instead of having to do one year of corn after hay. Hay is expensive to plant and if I can leave a hay crop in longer, it would raise my overall profit,” he explains.
FTGUp is a farmer-led project in Ohio and Missouri, working to improve the real-world, on-farm performance of conservation practices across the Midwest. Backed by researchers from The Ohio State University, University of Missouri, Central State University, Lincoln University, and non-profit partner Solutions from the Land, farmers are designing their own research projects with scientists supporting them. Yield stability, protection from extreme weather, and profitability are key outcomes that the farmer-led research is investigating.
For Hartzler, the appeal of the project lies in its direct relevance to his operation. Something he says is not always the case with traditional research. “Sometimes there can be a disconnect between the research being done and how it applies to my own farm. I like this because it shows me what I’m looking for right here.”
But beyond the numbers, Hartzler sees farmer-led research as an effective method for enhancing trust and encouraging adoption of research results. In agriculture, he says, farmers often rely most on what they can see and who they hear it from.
“I would say that [farmer-led research] definitely impacts other farmers’ willingness to look at it [research findings] and apply the practices because farmers like to listen to other farmers talk. We tend to believe other farmers more. If I can show on my farm the practice means more yield or something like that, I would say that other farmers listen to that.”
Hartzler believes research conducted on working farms, by farmers themselves, carries a different kind of influence. For him, the goal is to find answers that work in the real world, improve the bottom line, and help other farmers do the same.
By Joseph Opoku Gakpo & Lauren Spirk
