New Technology Launched To Help New York Farmers Better Protect Crops

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball, in partnership with the Cornell University New York State Integrated Pest Management Program (NYSIPM) and Northeast Regional Climate Center, today announced the launch of the Network for Environment and Weather Applications (NEWA) version 3.0, a complete update of the popular online system that has helped New York farmers better protect their crops from insects and plant disease since 1995.  NEWA 3.0 now offers an improved user experience paired with any smart device, a secure user account system with customized preferences, and more to help New York growers continue to share critical information and use IPM best management practices that support the agricultural industry.

Commissioner Ball said, “NEWA has long been key to New York farmers’ integrated pest management, an environmentally and economically sensible way to protect New York’s crops, our agricultural industry, our natural resources, and our health. The launch of NEWA 3.0 will help our farmers to better safeguard their land and crops and will ensure the continued strength of our agricultural industry.”

NEWA is a weather network that makes it possible for farmers to share resources for weather data collection, analysis, distribution, and archiving. Weather stations, primarily located on farms, deliver data to the NEWA website, which automatically calculates and displays weather data summaries, crop production tools, and IPM forecasts. NEWA users report annual cost savings of $33,048 from avoided crop losses, $4,329 from reduced sprays, and $2,060 in overall per acre annually, according to a 2017 survey.

The NEWA 3.0 website features many improvements, including: an optimized user experience on any smart device; a secure user account system with customized preferences; saved model preferences; an online Help Desk system; improved data quality; and much more. The new release includes 17 completed fruit and vegetable insect pest and plant disease forecast models, with 7 more lined up for release in coming months. These resources link with data streams from 717 public and private weather stations in 15 participating US states.

Dan Olmstead, Cornell Cooperative Extension Associate and NEWA Coordinator said, “Our growers asked for an easy, efficient, and useful website. NEWA 3.0 not only delivers, but completely surpasses, everyone’s expectations. This achievement strategically positions the New York State IPM Program and Cornell Cooperative Extension to support sustainable farming practices throughout the region in coming years by combining new technology with local real-time weather data and research-based knowledge.”

NEWA 3.0 (beta) is available for use immediately. There is no charge for access or account creation. For more information on NEWA 3.0, visit https://dev.newa.cornell.edu. The old website at http://newa.cornell.edu will remain in place until the current growing season is complete. For more information, contact NYSIPM’s Dan Olmstead at (315) 787-2207 or [email protected].

About NEWA and the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program

NEWA is part of the NYSIPM and Cornell Cooperative Extension. The New York State Budget, through the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and the Department of Environmental Conservation, provides $1 million to NYSIPM programs annually as part of the Environmental Protection Fund. As part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University, NYSIPM promotes risk-reducing practices in agricultural and community settings.