Level Up! Interpreting Results of Crop Yield Trials for Improved Decision Making

There is value in performing applied crop yield trials across numerous scales: field-length strips on private farms or small plots at University research centers. The variety of scale could extend to treatment structure, with over twenty varieties in a variety trial or five simple fertilizer treatments, or span geographical scale, through executing the same protocol in numerous locations within one state, a few locations across the region, or numerous states across the US. Regardless of scale, yield trials must be executed according to acceptable experimental design procedures to utilize statistics to analyze data and provide confidence in the hypothesized results, which is critical when the interpretation of these results ultimately change farmer behavior and management decisions. This presentation will highlight results from local crop yield response research performed in recent years that spans the aforementioned scales (small plot, field-length strips, national collaborative protocols), while highlighting common facets of each protocol and practicing data interpretation. After this presentation, attendees will have increased confidence when interpreting research results that leads to more informed management decision making.