Towards development of a decision-support system for tracking corn pest migration

Between 1995 and 2003, there was a 140% increase in U.S. certified organic acreage, with a 223% increase in organic corn acreage. One of the major obstacles farmers encounter in transitioning from traditional to organic practices and in producing high quality organic products is effective pest management, particularly in relation to migratory insects. The major limiting factor in designing a meaningful pest management program (regardless of whether farmers use biological, cultural, and/or chemical pest management practices) is almost always related to the inability to accurately predict pest migration patterns. To help organic farmers better manage migratory pests, an online decision-support system (DSS) to forecast corn pest migration is being developed as part of the NCAR weather and society * integrated studies (WAS*IS) program. The first part of the DSS development focuses on user surveys to determine current pest management practices and to understand how farmers might best benefit from a DSS. This presentation will discuss how structured surveys were used to solicit these user needs, and then the presentation will demonstrate a prototype of the DSS.