Beginning with its initial proposal back in January of 2018, my conservation farming research project has been a long, sometimes challenging, process. But it truly has been an incredible learning opportunity every step of the way. With the survey responses all in and the majority of the analytical work complete, it feels like my hard work is finally bearing fruit. It feels like harvest time.

Compiling all the survey responses in an organized, usable fashion was a bigger challenge than I had anticipated. As discussed in Sarah Graves’ mini course on working with data, it was important to standardize responses in order to be able to effectively sort and analyze the data. Because survey-takers did not always follow the instructions on the hard copy versions of the surveys, I had to develop a system that adjusted for that. For example, subjects were asked “What was the main reason you used cover crops initially? Please select ONLY the most important factor.” But people often selected more than one answer. After some consideration, I decided that everyone would be given one full “vote” for this question. If they gave 2 answers, each answer would be given a weight of 50%. If they gave 4 answers, each would be given a weight of 25%.

While this isn’t a perfect solution, and will be noted in my final paper as a problem with the data, it still serves to give a sense of the sentiment around initial choices for cover crops. This kind of creative problem solving when data is imperfect or incomplete was required for a number of the EOI courses’ final projects. In particular, the Intro to Statistics and Spatial Statistics classes required this kind of out-of-the-box thinking to analyze existing, imperfect data.

In contrast to organizing the data, finding organizations that would allow me to present my research to them was an easier task than I had originally anticipated. Thanks to Candace Diaz, I presented to the board of the Rock Lake Improvement Association in Jefferson County. I attempted to tailor my presentation to them by using Jefferson County as an example of how the algorithm I use (developed by Ryan Geygan in Professor Ozdogan’s lab) can identify cover cropped fields.

The following day I presented to the Cover Crops Research and Outreach Project (CCROP), thanks to Prof. Steve Ventura and Margaret Krome. Both groups I presented to were very receptive to my research and provided valuable feedback. One suggestion given was to be clearer about the difference between no-till and minimum till. Another was to consider adding hyperspectral imaging to my research. These suggestions and more will be included in my final paper.

Next week I will present to the Clean Lakes Alliance, finalize my analyses, and prepare for my exit seminar. While these remaining tasks will have their challenges, I am pleased to have the bulk of the work complete and to be able to focus on enjoying the fruits of my labor. When things do feel difficult, I find comfort in remembering what all this work is for: helping the future farmers of Wisconsin improve their livelihoods while bettering the environment. (Special thanks to my best friend, Callie Meiller, for the great photos of kids on Grandma’s farm!)