Background reference material will be produced in printed formats. Panels of stakeholders will help identify limitations of currently available IPM materials and proposed components intended to meet the needs of end-users. Panel members will provide feedback on the content and presentation of the information, the types of support needed to learn the new technology, and the barriers against use of the new technology. Marketing of the product will be designed to help move stakeholders from no awareness, to some awareness with little opinion, to acceptance, to commitment. The site adds value to but does not replace the print version by providing calculators, databases, and other online resources that are otherwise not possible.
Calculators provide an easy way for users to perform agronomic calculations.
Databases allow users to access large storehouses of information on weather, soil types, spatial data, and other sources, and provide inputs to the calculators. Multimedia components bring previously static tables to life. Related on-line resources enable the user to pursue selected high quality information from sources outside the Handbook, especially from other CFAR SRI IT projects like IPM, FARM.DOC, Weed ID, and Map Illinois. Updates allow users to see time-sensitive information such as new herbicide application guidelines. Entirely new content is being added such as the Soil Plan program previously available only on disk.