Evaluation of the Crop Observation and Recommendation Network (CORN) Electronic Newsletter Over Reported Environmental and Economic Attributes.

Hazardous Algae Blooms (HAB) have increased in magnitude in Lake Erie and other Ohio water resources.   These HAB outbreaks have been associated with agricultural field phosphorus losses into water. The final report of the Ohio Lake Erie Phosphorus Task Force stated, “The majority of annual phosphorus loading to Lake Erie has been documented to be from storm-pulsed runoff from the landscape into the tributaries that drain to Lake Erie”. The Crop Observation and Recommendation Network (CORN) utilizes the electronic communications capabilities of The Ohio State University to identify observed, reported and anticipated crop production problems while disseminating mitigating research-based information related to those problems. With a declining number of county and state Extension staff, the CORN network more effectively utilizes limited resources while at the same time creating a strong interdisciplinary team of Extension, entomology, plant pathology, and crop science personnel.  A survey of CORN users was conducted in 2011 to identify crop production practices of CORN readers and the reported value of the newsletter information.  This survey represented 1.7 million acres of Ohio's major crops.  The calculated value to Ohio Farmers and Dealers, CORN Newsletter users, was 21.2 million dollars in 2010.  This value can be separated by input savings and crop yield increases for corn and soybeans.   Ohio farmers, who read CORN, reported increased corn and soybean yields of 8.6 and 3.7 bushels per acre respectively. Further, Ohio farmers reading the CORN newsletter reported applying phosphorus at crop removal rates (based on state average yields) and not treating 53,676 acres of crops with fungicides and/or insecticides