A new project helps U.S. farmers collect data.
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is partnering with global non-profit the Soil Health Institute (SHI) and national ag-tech provider Growers Guide to support cotton producers in the United States to build upon soil conservation work by funding intensive on-farm data collection.
BCI will allocate nearly $200,000 in funding this year to continue on-farm research projects, regional Integrated Pest Management (IPM) research, and an analysis of five years of reported inputs, practices, and profitability for BCI Cotton growers in the U.S. This targeted field-level support will equip farmers with data-driven insights to help address key impact areas such as soil health and the minimization of chemical inputs by analyzing samples of soil, plant tissue and plant sap for nutrient uptake in cotton and other crops.
Funding field-level research into how farm practices impact soil health and nutrient uptake contributes to SHI’s development of regional soil health benchmarks and their work with cotton producers through the U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund.
“By investing in field-level research, this initiative provides stronger evidence that will support farmers in the confident and successful adoption of regenerative practices,” said Karen Wynne, BCI’s U.S. impact manager. “While the concepts for soil health are solid, every farm will implement them differently, and there is still much room for refinement.”
Wynne noted that specified projects are focused on the Southeast region, though this work is being carried out throughout additional Cotton Belt states.
The on-farm initiative is part of BCI’s U.S. program that promotes regenerative farming practices. The program has hosted on-farm innovation projects in California, Arkansas and North Carolina respectively, supported IPM outreach in North Carolina, and have work supported by BCI’s Growth and Innovation Fund based in Arizona which includes outreach in California and Mexico.
“We want to make sure that growers have the knowledge, capital, and tools to make these practices work successfully. On-farm research allows them to test systems in the same unpredictable and complicated environment that they work in every day,” Wynne said.
“Data analysis is a key part of regenerative agriculture for the cotton supply chain. The U.S. program has amassed a significant amount of data from among its enrolled producers over the past decade,” she added.
Other efforts include individualized conservation planning, carbon program participation, and access to a global network of knowledge-sharing through BCI’s Large Farm Program.
“This combination of technical support, innovation funding, and collaborative research helps accelerate the transition to farming systems that improve soil biology, reduce chemical inputs, and enhance long-term resilience in cotton production,” Wynne said.
Growers Guide emphasized how aligning with partners like BCI and SHI makes the feasibility of the data collection part of research achievable and actionable.
“Being able to learn what’s going on in the soil and plant in season—and then tying that to trends in harvest data at the end of the seasons—really helps to focus in on key trends that show up, and then take those same ideas and learnings to other farms and customers that we work with,” said Justin Taylor, Growers Guide senior sales manager.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news