On-farm research has been traditionally used to provide local, field-scale information about agronomic practices. Farmers tend to have more confidence in on-farm research results because they are perceived to be more relevant to their farm operations compared to small plot research results. In recent years, more farmers have been conducting on-farm studies to help evaluate practices and input decisions.  Recent advances in precision agriculture technologies have stream-lined the on-farm research process, allowing data to be collected and analyzed on a sub-field level. By aggregating this data into large on-farm research datasets, it can be used to mine valuable agronomic information regardless of productivity level variations in the field. Challenges exist when determining what data should be collected and how it is aggregated, managed, analyzed, and shared. However, once standardized, this data could be used to create or improve current decision-making tools and processes. 

eFields is an on-farm research network that focuses on building local knowledge for Ohio producers. In 2017, two standardized research protocols were replicated at 22 locations across 11 counties in Ohio. Yield data collected from these locations were combined with site-specific information about agronomic management practices and publicly available data layers in order to classify the results by potential yield influencing factors. This pilot study made it possible to explore the amount, types, and quality of data that is necessary to accurately aggregate on-farm research results. Timely recording of field and crop notes is often overlooked in-season; this makes the accurate classification of results more challenging. This year’s testing provided insight on the need for data collection and management strategies that optimize the transfer and sharing of agronomic data. Inconsistencies in technology adoption and understanding from farm-to-farm resulted in the need for personal contact to obtain data manually. Looking forward, a strategy for the 2018 season has been developed to improve the collection, aggregation, analysis, and reporting of future results.