Scaling Insight Through on Farm Digital Research Advancements

By Andi Anderson

The Tri-State Digital Agriculture Team has launched a new quarterly webinar series aimed at helping Extension professionals and digital agriculture practitioners strengthen their on‑farm research programs.

This collaborative effort brings together experts from Purdue University, The Ohio State University, and Michigan State University to support better research practices across the region.

The first session in the series will be held on Wednesday, March 18, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM (EDT). It will focus on how data-driven approaches can improve agricultural research at the field, farm, and regional levels.

This webinar highlights the importance of well-designed on‑farm trials and their ability to generate reliable information for farmers and researchers. Presenters will explain how thoughtful experiment design, proper data collection, and digital tools help ensure that on‑farm studies produce consistent and meaningful results.

They will also discuss how these studies, when coordinated across multiple farms and states, can lead to stronger insights and more accurate recommendations.

Featured speakers include Megan Burns from Purdue University, who leads the Purdue On The Farm research program, and Elizabeth Hawkins from The Ohio State University, a specialist in agronomic systems.

Both presenters bring extensive experience in field-level research and digital agriculture. Their session will help participants understand how large-scale, coordinated research efforts make data more useful and decisions more precise.

The webinar will also show how regional collaboration helps combine information from different environments, soil types, and management styles.

This approach gives farmers a clearer picture of how certain practices may perform in real-world conditions. It also accelerates innovation by allowing researchers to share tools, strategies, and results more efficiently.

This event is ideal for Extension educators, agronomists, crop advisors, digital agriculture professionals, industry partners, and anyone interested in improving modern agricultural practices.

Participants will leave with practical knowledge about designing stronger experiments, using digital platforms for data management, and applying results to improve crop production.

The Tri-State Digital Ag Team invites all professionals invested in applied research and innovation to join this learning opportunity. Through shared expertise and modern tools, the region continues moving toward more informed, data‑driven agriculture.

Photo Credit: purdue-university