Innovation with a Farmer Focus

Innovative farmers positively influence the future of agriculture

Blog by: INTENT

Many companies throughout the agriculture landscape are talking about farmers but haven’t taken the time to do the most important part: talk to farmers. Working directly with farmers is foundational to our business, but we’ve also learned what an important role farmers play in delivering more value and transparency in the innovation process.

At INTENT, we continue to build our FarmerTrials Network that is based on farmer feedback from on-farm field trials on their operations. The field trial business isn’t easy, but INTENT has built a network of over 1,000 farmers from all over North and South America. Without the continued support of our farmers, we wouldn’t be able to sustain the trial side of our business.

In the last few years, farmers have been challenged with growing more food to feed the growing population, while also finding ways to expand their operations or utilize the resources they already have. But expansion isn’t always easy. It’s tough to rent or buy more ground, and it doesn’t matter what area of the country you are in. “The goal is to optimize and produce the most we can on our farm with the acres we’ve got. In farming, we only get one shot a year to make the most of the growing season, so we try to be very intentional in our decisions for the operation.”  FarmerTrials (FT) member, Jake Smoker, Indiana, comments, “I’ve got to keep seeking out the best information to change, working with agronomists and advisors that are willing to push me and challenge me. Those people have been critical to advancing our operation.”

Putting new products to the test

The network of farmers that participate in our agronomic field trials continues to grow, making them integral influencers for the future of agriculture. “Growers that like to be on the cutting edge of technology, early adopters, are getting a chance to try new products before they are on the market. INTENT facilitates the adoption of these products that farmers may not try otherwise,” says Colton Mills, Precision Agronomist at INTENT.

Our innovative clients are working tirelessly to bring products to the market that can help farmers be more sustainable, improve soil health, farm more profitably, and work with nature, rather than against it. Farmers recognize the value of working with companies that take the time to do research and development on a large scale in real-world situations rather than only a small plot or greenhouse setting. Feedback from farmers is key to the innovation process.

As companies develop new products, there can be unforeseen issues with handling techniques, storage expectations, application requirements, or other factors, and farmers can provide this valuable feedback as they progress through the trial for a growing season. “Helping to set the expectations of the R&D Team has been important to me. Sitting down to talk through the product handling and potential pitfalls with the R&D Team can provide transparency and valuable insights to the company with the product on trial,” commented Smoker. “We all want the product to be successful, or we wouldn’t be trying it on our farms.”

Surrounding yourself with likeminded ag enthusiasts is also a benefit in participating in the FarmerTrials Network. Through our grower webinars and Facebook group, farmers can reach out to others involved in trials to ask questions, share suggestions, concerns, or what they are seeing during the growing season. Member, Mitchell Hora from Iowa said, “The more you get involved with the network, the more you can gain from it.” Opening your operation to new technology, tools, and products can benefit your operation in a variety of ways.

Performance evaluation

The data and insights farmers receive from each trial is also a game-changer. While integrating with major Farm Management Systems (FMS), INTENT can pull the planting and harvest data directly into INvision Trials to clean and summarize the data from each trial, providing an unbiased point of view on the trial findings.

Seeing the data can be eye-opening and transformational for an operation. Network member, Zack Rendel, from Oklahoma commented, “We’ve had data come back from trials that provided us a real ‘aha’ moment that changed the way we thought about that product or management of a particular field. INTENT’s data has allowed me to start asking more questions that I would have never been able to ask had I not been part of the trial.”

“Getting unbiased data back on my farm based on what I was doing with the product and how I was handling it in my soils can be eye-opening, even if it’s opposite of what I expected,” states Smoker.  “So that’s the biggest benefit because we’ve taken products full farm after the trials have proved their efficacy.  We’ve changed our production practices and in the way we handle sulfur based on the trials that have come through from INTENT.”

Agronomic Support

FarmerTrials growers can expect a “hands-on” approach from the agronomy team during the growing season. Providing another set of eyes on the field, our agronomists can point out disease or insect pressures that might have gone unnoticed. Clients and farmers can also view the full field and trial progress via the online INvision Trials portal. During field visits, agronomists input collected data for soil samples, stand counts, and tissue samples measuring nutrient up-take. Environmental impacts like weed or insect pressure, drought stress, and other variables that might affect the outcome of the trial, along with plant photos, are documented as well. “Communicating with the farmer what is being seen in the field, especially if a problem area stands out is always my policy,” comments Mills. “We want to be seen as a partner in the field, helping to get the best results possible.”

Get Compensated

Many farmers already run their own seed or product trials on their ground every year. Rendel says, “Working with INTENT, I’m getting paid to run trials that I would already be doing on my farm.” The Rendel farm has been running their own on-farm trials for over 20 years and has been progressive in adopting precision agriculture management techniques. “I like to share with our neighbors what we learn on the trials, because it can lead to them making more innovative decisions for their farm as well.  It allows us all to be better stewards of the land in this part of Northeast Oklahoma.”

As part of the network, you may be presented with two types of compensated feedback opportunities — agronomic trials and market research. This is a great way to positively influence the future of agriculture while being compensated for your time and resources. It’s free to join and you can opt-out at any time.

With each trial that INTENT runs for a client, farmers are compensated for their time, effort, and data while also receiving the product for the trial at no charge. In turn, farmers are asked to provide the field boundaries, and required planting, application, and harvest data in conjunction with that trial.

In an industry with vast variability across regions, fields, and seasons, working side-by-side with farmers is the best way to determine product fit and efficacy. Innovative growers are providing valuable insights to clients through real-world, large-scale, farmer-driven trials that continue to be the gold standard for product adoption.

Join the FarmerTrials Network here