Iowa State University Extension (ISUE) has released the Iowa Crop Management Database (CMD) program. The program is for use by farmers, crop consultants, agricultural suppliers, and anyone else interested in detailed crop production information. The Iowa CMD will record agronomic and economic crop production information in an easy-to-use computer database program. A few of the features included in the program are:

• Soil information for each Iowa county, except Humboldt, Monona, and Van Buren, which are pending release of an updated soil survey
• Manure nutrient recordkeeping with default values for nutrient content in manure
• Fertilizer recommendation program using ISUE data and recommendations
• Database of over 250 farm chemicals with EPA numbers and active ingredients
• Iowa Custom Rate Guide to aid in economic analysis
• Database of weeds and insects common to Iowa
• Production of the "Pesticide Use Report" to meet state and federal requirements
• Production of over 56 reports about agronomic information with cash and economic cost analysis

The Iowa CMD is a stand alone, ready-to-run relational database program. It will run on a Windows 95-based computer, 486 MHz or faster, or a Macintosh Performa 575 or newer model. The program requires a 3.5-inch high-density floppy drive and 8 Meg of hard drive space to load and maintain files. A VGA monitor, mouse, paint jet printer, or laser printer also are required.

One-day workshops to help users understand and implement the CMD program will be held in Agronomy Hall, ISU, on December 10, 1997, and on January 14 and 21 and February 11, 1998. Workshops will begin at 9:30 a.m. and end around 4:00 p.m. You must preregister for a workshop by calling Agribusiness Education Programs at 515-294-6429. Certified crop advisors are eligible for 0.5 hours of soil fertility, 0.5 hours of pest management, and 1 hour of crop production CEUs.

The cost of the Iowa CMD software to the public is $100. Educational institutions and state or federal government agencies pay $70. Registration for the workshop only is $100; the workshop plus the software is $200 for the public and $170 for educational institutions, and state or federal agencies. To order the database, contact Extension Software Service, 110 EES Bldg., Haber Rd., ISU, Ames, IA 50011-3070 or call 515-294-8658.