UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- "The Agronomy Guide," published every two years by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences with yearly supplements, now can be found on the World Wide Web.
"After talking with extension agents, industry people and farmers across the state, it became clear to me that there is a need for continually updated information," says Steve Fales, professor and head of the agronomy department. "This is particularly important with pesticide labels changing so rapidly."
"The Agronomy Guide" is a 251-page handbook that addresses all production practices for agronomic crops. Topics include pest and soil fertility management, corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, small grains, forages, cover crops and conservation tillage for soil erosion control, enterprise budgets and computer uses for business and home.
The guide also includes tables of useful weights and measures, English/metric conversions, average bushel weights and seed per pound, and keys for identifying common grassy and broadleaved weed seedlings in Pennsylvania.
The Web site features a searchable index that makes finding information quick and easy. "Users also can download printable PDF files of enterprise budgets using Adobe Acrobat Reader," says designer Carole Backman. "We've included a link to install the Reader on the enterprise budget page."
"The online guide gives us a tremendous opportunity to include interactive programs that make everyday calculations much easier," says Fales. "In the future, farmers using IPM, for instance, will be able to plug in the number of insects in the field and get back the economic thresholds. We'll also add such things as color photographs for weed and insect identification.
"The online guide will be evolving constantly," he says. "Anything the Web can do, Penn State will try to incorporate."
The Agronomy Guide can be found at http://AgGuide.agronomy.psu.edu/.
"Just because we're online doesn't mean we'll stop making the printed publication," Fales adds. "The Agronomy Guide probably can be found in every pickup on every farm in the state. Until every farmer has a laptop, we won't stop printing the hard copy."
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EDITORS: For more information, contact Steve Fales at 814-865-6541.
Contacts: Kim Dionis KDionis@psu.edu 814-863-2703 814-865-1068 fax