SARE 1996 Highlights

Software Offers Site-Specific Options

A user-friendly computer program should make it easier for farmers to generate multi-year, whole-farm management plans based on ecologically sound practices. Scheduled for release by the USDA-NRCS in late 1997, the Crop Rotation Planning System (CROPS) will help farmers protect natural resources while maintaining or increasing profitability. The software assists farmers in complying with federal and state land-use requirements. It integrates income- and crop-production goals with field-by-field environmental risk assessments based on data such as soil-nutrient levels, topographic details, yield and input history and other economic information. CROPS helps farmers determine optimal rotations by comparing alternative plans having up to three crops per field per year, including cover crops. The program forecasts results for each site, such as expected yields, annual soil loss and pesticide leaching potential. Testing on four farms in Virginia in 1995 helped researchers improve the software. The livestock- and nutrient-management portion now better addresses the storage and use of on-farm manure, for example. Researchers hope to make the program more flexible for vegetable growers who prefer to make decisions closer to planting time. (Southern Region project AS92-4)

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