>Howdy Saneters,
> A friend and I are collaborating on the development of computer programs
>developed specifically for organic farmers, ETC.
Nancy Grudens Schuck adds:
Regarding the organic farming shareware: In New York,
farmers - particularly dairy but perhaps soon all
farmers- may soon be asked by NYS to complete
'whole farm plans' with environmental responsibility
as a goal. Certainly organic farmers are already
committed in this way, and in NY there are several
strong certification processes, but it is my guess
that the organic certification process would have to
be 'tweaked' before it satified any new
legislation regarding 'environmental whole farm
planning.'
A computer package might help some farmers in this regard.
For some people, farm financial planning is easier via
computer, and specialized software might contribute here
as well. I would worry less about generating data for
researchers, however, unless the researchers are farm
organizations themselves. It would be a very big task
to decide *which* researchers you want to satisfy,
and to what extent you devote resources to the researchers'
needs. There could be some meeting ground here, but I
would make sure I took care of farmers' information
needs first.
Good luck with your new creative project!
Nancy Grudens Schuck, New York.
***************************
Nancy Grudens Schuck
108 Kennedy Hall
Dept. Education
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
ng13@cornell.edu
(607) 255-4197
***************************