Three Hills (Rural Roots Canada) – Seeding is progressing across Alberta, and with it, a number of farmers will be participating in On-Farm Trials to assess how new products, technologies, or practices perform under real-world conditions.

According to Steve Larocque of Beyond Agronomy, digital tools are transforming the future of these trials. He says platforms like DFI allow producers to carry out large-scale automated strip trials with ease.

“That platform automatically creates prescriptions for up to hundreds of strip trials,” Larocque explains. “If you’re testing seed rates, for example, it can vary the rate from 100 to 120, 130, 140 pounds, up to 80 or 90 times in a single field. You end up with dozens of replicates for one specific treatment.”

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Larocque says this approach marks a major improvement over traditional trials, which often fall short due to labour demands or inconsistent execution.

“Everyone starts with good intentions at seeding, but by harvest, it often goes sideways. Trials get forgotten, poorly done, or are just too much work,” he says. “Most people do side-by-side trials, but if you want scientifically valid, randomized and replicated data, you need a better system.”

He adds that the platform’s potential goes beyond agronomy, offering opportunities to incentivize participation in trials and enhance data collection on the farm.