Software
Nutrient Management Software
Because of the complexity in accounting for all of the variables involved in developing a workable Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP), NYS NRCS, NYS Dept. of Agr. and Markets and NYS DEC, provided the financial support for the development of Cornell Cropware. The first version of Cornell Cropware enabled the user to allocate manure and fertilizer nutrients based on soil type, crop requirement and environmental risk indices. Cropware contained equations and coefficients needed to implement Cornell nutrient management guidelines for meeting crop requirements with manure and inorganic fertilizer nutrients. The software also allowed for the assessments of P runoff risk, via the NYS P Index, and N leaching loss, via the NYS N Leaching Index. Recommendations and nutrient management plans generated using Cornell Cropware were and continue to be designed to comply with NRCS standards.
Cropware 1.0 was released in 2001 followed by the release of a much improved version 2.0 in 2003. In 2011, Cropware development, maintenance and support were moved to Farm Information Technologies LLC. to allow for more timely updates than we were able to supply users with as a Cornell University software package these past many years. This move allows us here at the Cornell Nutrient Management Spear Program to focus more on applied research and refining of New York State soil fertility and nutrient management guidelines for field crops. We will work with Farm Information Technologies LLC as we work with all other private and public sector organizations who service New York State farmers to ensure full access to the Cornell nutrient management guidelines for field crops and deliver timely updates on those guidelines.
We supplied Farm Information Technologies, LLC. with a list of the many suggestions Cropware users have offered us over the past five years. The first release of Cropware Classic was October 2011; the first release of Cropware Plus was January 2012.
Farm Information Technologies, LLC. welcomes your feedback and input. Contact information is:
User Help= cropware@farminfotech.com (518-643-2361)
Technical Support= support@farminfotech.com (518-643-4316)
Website: http://farminfotech.com
New York State Phosphorus Runoff Index
Cornell University faculty and staff, Cornell Cooperative Extension field staff, agencies including NRCS and Soil & Water Conservation Districts, private sector crop consultants and producers have jointly developed a first draft of the New York Phosphorus Runoff Index (NY-PI). This draft version includes transport (soil drainage class, flooding frequency, distance to the stream and stream type, presence or absence of concentrated flows) and source factors (soil test P, fertilizer and manure P application rate, timing and method).
Mehlich-III to Morgan Soil Test Conversion Equations
In 1999, personnel from Agway Inc., Agricultural Consulting Services Inc., ConsulAgr Inc., Cooks Consulting Services and the Miner Institute collected 232 soil samples (0-6 or 8 inches) in New York. These samples represented 27 soil types and eight major agricultural soil groups from across New York. This dataset was used to derive equations that allow for conversions of Mehlich-III soil test data to Morgan soil test equivalents for New York soils. Independent datasets supplied by Agricultural Consulting Services Inc. were used to validate the conversion models and to assess the impact of the use of such models on fertilizer recommendations for corn.