HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — For 66 years, this acreage south of Hutchinson has been an outdoor classroom for farmers.

Those first years, it was wheat and fertilizer research, along with studies on alfalfa, oats and sorghums — all in an effort to equip farmers with the best information and tools to help boost productivity and feed the world.

Decades later, the idea is the same, said agronomist Gary Cramer. He and his technicians still investigate fertilizer use, along with tillage methods, seeding rates, cover crops and crop rotations. Yet, amid 21st century challenges, Cramer, along with others he...