FTGUp in the News
Newsletters | FTGUp in the News
2026
July 2026
Ohio Farm Bureau Podcast:
From the Ground Up: Farmer-Led Research
What happens when farmers are put in the driver’s seat of research? On this episode, Ohio farmers Evan Beery and Mark Hoorman join Ohio State University researcher Doug Jackson-Smith to discuss From the Ground Up, a farmer-led project exploring how conservation practices perform under real-world conditions.
April 2026
Ohio’s Country Journal
From The Ground Up flips the traditional research model by putting farmers first
For decades, agricultural research has often followed a similar path. Scientists identify a problem, develop a study, gather results, and eventually ask farmers to adopt the science or practices that they have learned. A new project called From the Ground Up is working to reverse that process.
Agri-Pulse
Farmer-led research is good for the planet
We come from very different places — a grazing farm in northwest Missouri (Chad) and an urban farm in Trotwood, Ohio (Donee) — but we share the same conviction: You must hold a certain love for nature and the earth to want to be a farmer.
March 2026
Farm and Dairy
From The Ground Up: Ohio farms lead new $10M soil health study
A family dairy that has spent years pushing its crops farther and harder is now looking for something else to carry them forward: endurance.
Brownfield Ag News
“From The Ground Up” project focuses on real-world conservation results
A farmer-led research project aims to improve the performance of conservation practices in the Midwest. Many farmers across Ohio and Missouri have been taking part in “From The Ground Up”.
February 2026
Brownfield Ag News
Tracking the Real-World Impact of Conservation Practices | Brownfield Roundtable
In this Brownfield Ag News roundtable, we take a closer look at From The Ground Up — a farmer-led research project focused on improving the performance of conservation practices across the Midwest.
Central State University
From The Ground Up Podcast | Central State University 1890 Land-Grant Programs
Central State University 1890 Land-Grant Programs present From The Ground Up Podcast. The recording took place during the 2026 Urban & Small-Scale Farm Connection Conference. From The Ground Up Project Manager Alex Jefferies from The Ohio State University served as moderator.
The Ohio State University
Episode 181 – From The Ground Up Research
Two farmers, Fred and Josh Yoder, discuss one conservation focused research project developed by a group of farmers in Ohio. They are part of a multi-state, four-university effort to discover how to increase conservation adoption on farms.
January 2026
Lincoln University
Summer Internship Offers On-Farm Conservation Experience to Undergraduate Students
A paid internship with the From The Ground Up project will give Lincoln University of Missouri (LU) undergraduate students the chance to gain hands-on experience with agricultural conservation this summer.
The Ohio State University
From The Ground Up
Started in 2024, this USDA-funded NIFA project is a farmer-led effort to improve real-world, on-farm performance of conservation practices. We are using on-farm research to ensure these practices generate the outcomes – e.g., profitability, yield stability, and protection from extreme weather events – that farmers need.
2025
September 2025
Richland Source
Farmer-led research powers new findings
If you think this is a group therapy session, you’d be wrong. It’s actually a gathering of scientific researchers – conducted not just for farmers, but by farmers. “From The Ground Up” is a five-year project that kicked off last year with a $10 million grant from the USDA.
April 2025
Farm Progress
Farmer-led research will help soils ‘From the Ground Up’
FARMER-LED RESEARCH: A new farmer-led, on-farm research and collaboration called “From the Ground Up” is starting this spring in Ohio and Missouri. Farmers will co-create the research project with academic partners, implement it over the next five years, and publish the research data for all to see and use.
Our Ohio | Ohio Farm Bureau
Climate-resilient farming strategies for Ohio
Ohio farmers are on the front lines, facing unpredictable weather, extreme rainfall, and shifting growing conditions. To help them adapt, CFAES is advancing climate-smart solutions through farmer-led research and collaboration.
March 2025
Great Lakes Now
Virtual Town Hall: Climate and the Future of Agriculture
Streamed live on Mar 19, 2025
Join Great Lakes Now and Weathered for a lively discussion and multimedia event all about the future of agriculture in the Great Lakes region and beyond. We’ll watch an excerpt of Weathered and then GLN’s Anna Sysling will moderate a panel of agriculture experts.
Great Lakes Now
How farmer-led research could revolutionize the relationship between agriculture and researchers
The relationship between farmers and researchers has not always been a collaborative one. Douglas Jackson-Smith, professor and Kellogg Endowed Chair of Agroecosystem Management in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University, wants to change that. For decades, researchers and farmers have largely worked in siloes only coming together when the scientists have research that points.
Spectrum News 1
Unpredictable weather patterns affect farmers productivity
“Farmers are at the forefront of experiencing weather. I’m a farmer myself, so I notice the weather. I notice things that are changing around me,” said Doug Jackson-Smith, farmer and professor in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University.
2024
July 2024
WOSU
All Sides with Amy Juravich
…We’re also talking about farming and how to get farmers to adopt climate-friendly practices.
The USDA has invested $10 million into a project, which partners Ohio State and Central State with two universities in Missouri.
WYSO
Ohio State University to lead $10M effort to bridge gap between research and farmers
Regenerative practices, such as cover crops, diversified rotations, and replacing fertilizer with manure, all promise benefits.
But adoption rates are still low among farmers, said Doug Jackson-Smith, Kellog Chair of the AgroEcosystem Management program at OSU.
Public News Service
USDA invests millions for ‘climate-smart’ ag programs in Midwest
Farms in the Midwest should become more resilient to challenges created by climate change, with a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The money will go toward working with farmers in Ohio and Missouri on ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil and water quality and respond to extreme weather conditions, all while remaining profitable.
Central State University
USDA invests $10 million for Central State University, partner organizations to launch ‘From the Ground Up’ climate smart agricultural practices
The United States Department of Agriculture has allocated a $10 million grant for Central State University and partner Land-Grant universities in Ohio and Missouri to accelerate the adoption of climate smart agricultural practices.
Lincoln University
Lincoln University Partners in $10 Million Project to Advance Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices
Lincoln University of Missouri (LU) scientists are participating in a multistate team led by Ohio State University that is launching farmer-focused, on-farm research and innovation into climate-smart agricultural practices and helping promote their adoption in the Midwest.
University of Missouri
Plant Science and Technology researcher part of $10 million USDA grant to accelerate adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices
A transdisciplinary team of researchers, educators and extension experts has received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to advance and co-create solutions to climate resilience of farmers in the Midwest. Led by The Ohio State University, the project will involve close partnerships with researchers, extension staff and students at Central State University, the University of Missouri, Lincoln University, and Solutions for the Land.
June 2024
The Ohio State University
USDA invests $10M in Ohio State-led team to accelerate adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices
A transdisciplinary team of researchers, educators, and Extension experts led by The Ohio State University has received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to advance and co-create solutions to climate resilience of farmers in the Midwest.
