UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A computer-based clearinghouse of information designed to help drought-stricken farm operations is now online in Pennsylvania, thanks to a cooperative effort of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
Called Haynet, the service is offered through PENpages, a statewide public computer service maintained and operated by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. Anyone with a computer and modem can log onto PENpages by calling a local telephone number available in each of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. PENpages also can be accessed on the World Wide Web at http://www.penpages.psu.edu/.
Some lingering effects of the summer heat will be felt this winter, when farmers whose hay crops were decimated by drought begin to run out of forage for their animals. "Because this year's drought has put hay in short supply in parts of the state, Haynet has been reactivated. Haynet is designed to help farmers with limited hay supplies find off-farm forage sources," says Diane Brown, associate director of Penn State Cooperative Extension.
"Haynet is a listing of names, addresses and telephone numbers of hay dealers throughout the state," Brown says. "The list is broken down by region, county and type of hay available. We just provide the contact information. The farmer then has to contact the dealer to negotiate a price for the hay."
The service is free for buyers and sellers. Farmers without a computer and modem can call or visit their local Penn State Cooperative Extension office. Extension staff will access the network for information on forage dealers in their area. Farmers with forage and grain for sale can call their county Cooperative Extension office to be added to Haynet's dealer list.
Haynet was first launched during the drought of 1988, when it proved to be popular. The service was last activated in 1995, and its revival this year was prompted in part by requests from worried farmers.
For more information about Haynet and other drought-related services, contact the Penn State Cooperative Extension office in your county.
People interested in using PENpages can obtain a free User Guide by writing to Computer Services, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, 405 Agricultural Administration Building, University Park, PA 16802 or by calling 814-863-3449. The guide provides step-by-step instructions and local telephone numbers to call for each Pennsylvania county. The service also can be accessed on the World Wide Web at http://www.penpages.psu.edu/.
###
EDITORS: For more information, contact Computer Services at 814-865-3449.
Contacts: Chuck Gill Chuck_Gill@agcs.cas.psu.edu 814-863-2713 814-865-1068 fax