New online tool facilitates information sharing for North Carolina farmers
North Carolina State Extension agents have their fingers on the pulse of statewide crop performance and emerging problems, often spotting regional patterns that are valuable to the industry. Getting that knowledge summarized for public consumption in a timely manner can be a challenge.
NC State Extension recently released an online visual mapping tool to capture and share in-season crop problems and recommendations. The tool, Beans Gone Wild, uses crowdsourced field data from public and private partners to document soybean problems as well as recommend actions across the state. By rotating data off every six weeks, the tool provides access to real-time problem identification and synthesizes it with Extension recommendations to provide better decision support.
In addition to serving as a resource to farmers, Beans Gone Wild can be used as a training tool for new Extension agents and crop consultants, alert growers to historical issues before the season begins and offer resources for follow-up. Agronomy students can also use the database for easy access to practical examples for class projects.
Project supported by state appropriations.
