Ready for round two? AAFC researchers fielding guesses from farmers for another #AAFCPlowdownChallenge

When AAFC science coordinator Scott Anderson and technician Roger Henry began the AAFC Plowdown Challenge last year, they weren’t quite sure what to expect and how producers would react. But after receiving lots of positive response, they decided to launch version 2.0.

The concept this year is similar to last year. Scott and Roger are once again planting the Mountain Gem potato variety on a field following a cover crop of red clover at AAFC’s Harrington Research Farm, located on Prince Edward Island. As with last year, no fertilizers will be applied to add nutrients to the soil. Farmers again will be encouraged to guess what the yield will be after harvest and grading this fall. In addition to the potential benefits of using leftover nitrogen from the soil and a cover crop, there’s another twist this year – they will spread manure in the field!

“The manure adds a little wrinkle to the challenge this year,” says Scott. “Manure contains a range of nutrients, and if properly applied, it can improve soil structure and water holding capacity to help plants grow.”

Last year, the potato yield after harvesting the #AAFCPlowdownChallenge field at the Harrington Research Farm was 169 hundredweight per acre. The provincial average was 311 hundredweight per acre of potatoes in 2023. While Scott and Roger don’t expect farmers to stop using fertilizer altogether, they are trying to demonstrate how much yield they can actually achieve by just using nutrients in the soil from manure and a properly managed previous rotational crop.

Prince Edward Island cattle farmer Paul Smallman was the winner of the inaugural challenge with the closest guess of 177 hundredweight per acre. Might we see a back-to-back winner, or will a new farmer take the title in 2024?

Farmers can send their guesses to Scott by email at scott.anderson@agr.gc.ca or through X (Twitter) at @peiscooter before June 1, 2024.

This initiative is one of the many ways AAFC and farmers are continuing to act as stewards of the land, working towards an even more sustainable agricultural sector. Considering leftover nutrients in the soil when making decisions on fertilizer-use can be added to the toolbox for farmers along with other AAFC-researched beneficial management practices such cover crops and enhanced efficiency fertilizers.

Learn more about environment and sustainability in agriculture: Environment and sustainability in agriculture.