Introduction
On-farm precision experiments (OFPEs) are large, statistically valid on-farm agronomic trials that farmers implement using precision technology to generate data-based input management decisions. On Jan. 8-11, the Data-Intensive Farm Management Project (DIFM) will be hosting the USDA-sponsored International Conference for On-Farm Precision Experimentation. The conference will be preceded by a Jan. 7 welcome and ”meet and greet,” in which DIFM’s NRCS-sponsored subsidization of farmers and consultants to conduct on-farm research is explained. Jan. 8-9 will introduce OFPE to farmers and farm managers, professional crop consultants, and college students in digital agricultural programs, and will feature training sessions for the use of the DIFM’s cloud-based cyber-infrastructure, which offers user friendly methods for the design, implementation and analysis of OFPEs. Farmers and consultants will present results and lessons from their on-farm trials. January 10-11 will focus on academic research reports, but will be open to all.
Jan. 8-9: Conference for farmers, consultants, and anyone else interested in data-based crop production management.
Jan. 10-11: Reports of formal academic research, aimed at professional researchers but open to all.
Summary of Agenda
- Presentations by farmers who have conducted OFPEs in the US, Canada, South Amercia and South Africa
- Presentations by crop consultants who have worked with farmers to design OFPEs
- Presentations by leading scientists who have developed the cyber-infrastructure that is making OFPE available to the world
- Hands-on training sessions on how to use DIFM software and database infrastructure to design, run, and analyze the data from OFPEs
- Presentations and discussions of formal academic research.
Travel Information
South Padre Island is served by airports in Brownsville (BRO) and Harlingen (HRL), Texas.
American Airlines serves both cities from Dallas DFW.
United serves both cities from Houston IAH.
Southwest serves Harlingen from Dallas Love Field, Houston Hobby Airport, and Austin.
Sun Country Airlines serves Brownsville from Minneapolis.
Conference shuttles from the airports to the hotel will be available.
Accommodations and Venue
Hilton Garden Inn South Padre Island Beachfront
Contact Information
Carli Miller, DIFM Project Coordinator
Phone: 217-300-9335
Email: cjmille5@illinois.edu
More information and registration will be available after June 27 at https://ofpe.org.
Project Framework