Takeaways from the 2025 eFields Report

By Dara Barclay, Elizabeth Hawkins and John Fulton, Ohio State Extension

As we move well into 2026, it is worth reflecting on the challenges that defined the 2025 growing season and what Ohio farmers learned from them.

The latest edition of the eFields Research Report delivers timely, data-driven insights to help inform critical management decisions this season. The 2025 report highlights 102 on-farm, field-scale trials conducted across 29 Ohio counties. Research topics span nutrient management, disease management in corn and soybeans, biological products, drone use for seeding and applications, and cover crop management. Growing interest in organic farming systems is reflected in the expansion of organic-focused research, increasing from eight trials in 2024 to 12 studies in 2025.

New additions to this year’s report include trials on sunflowers and flint corn, along with the launch of a statewide Tar Spot Surveillance project. This multi-year effort, continuing into 2026, aims to better understand the environmental conditions that favor tar spot development and its impact on yield. With its broad range of research topics, the 2025 eFields Report offers valuable takeaways for producers across Ohio.

Ohio farmers faced a series of weather-related hurdles in 2025, beginning with narrow planting windows in the spring that pushed some planting into June. Those delays were followed by persistently high overnight temperatures in July, coinciding with critical crop growth stages. To compound matters, a late-season drought settled in during August and affected much of the state. The 2025 growing season reinforced just how important flexibility, sound agronomics, and data-driven decisions are in today’s production environment.

Despite these less-than-ideal conditions, Ohio farmers adapted throughout the season, adjusting management decisions in real time. These challenges are evident in the trial observations summarized in the 2025 eFields Report. In many cases, farm partners modified their original plans or shifted trials altogether to work around the realities of the growing season. Still, the goal remained the same: to implement meaningful trials and learn from the data. Thanks to that commitment, we believe the 2025 season provided valuable insights that will help inform future management decisions.

Many eFields trials showed that when crops were stressed, added inputs such as biologicals, higher fertilizer rates, or late-season applications did not consistently return yield or profit. These findings highlight the importance of matching inputs to realistic yield potential. Nitrogen management trials continued to show that placement, timing and rate matter more than chasing new products, especially under dry conditions.

Disease pressure, including tar spot, was present but often limited by drought, reinforcing the need for scouting-based fungicide decisions rather than automatic applications. On the technology side, increased use of drones, remote sensing and on-farm data tools helped growers monitor variability and respond more efficiently to in-season challenges.

Overall, the 2025 eFields findings emphasize managing risk through proven practices, controlling costs and using on-farm research to fine-tune decisions — because what pays in one year or field may not in the next.

The 2025 eFields Report is available in both print and digital formats. Printed copies can be requested through local OSU Extension offices or by emailing digitalag@osu.edu. The e-version can be viewed or downloaded at go.osu.edu/eFields, with past-year data available at kx.osu.edu/efields.

The eFields team sincerely thanks the farmers and industry partners whose commitment makes on-farm research possible. As the program approaches its 10th year in 2026, we look forward to continuing to deliver research-based insights that matter on the farm. Follow @OhioStatePA on Facebook, X and YouTube for updates throughout the year, or contact digitalag@osu.edu to get involved in 2026.