The USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory in Mandan, N.D., received an Outstanding Laboratory Award for 2003 from the Federal Laboratories Consortium during the Mid-Continent Regional FLC annual meeting Aug. 19 in Oahu, Hawaii.

The laboratory received the award for research which meets significant customer needs, and excellence in transferring innovative dynamic cropping systems strategies to agricultural producers.

The Mandan staff has compiled research data into customer-friendly, decision-making software called the "The Crop Sequence Calculator" which has been disseminated without cost to over 9,000 producers, educators, and businesses.

The Crop Sequence Calculator software computes the expected yield of 10 crops (barley, dry bean, canola, crambe, flax, dry pea, safflower, soybean, sunflower, and spring wheat) grown in any two-year combination.

Studies including corn, grain sorghum, buckwheat, chick pea, grain sorghum, lentils, and proso millet are continuing for inclusion in future versions of the decision-making software tool.

The current software assists users in evaluating management risks associated with each different crop sequence.

Users may input expected crop prices and USDA-FSA Loan Deficiency Payments to provide rapid calculations of potential financial returns of the 100 crop sequences grown at Mandan.

Summary sheets containing economic and production risks may be printed out for future reference.

Summary impact statements on crop production, plant diseases, insects, weeds, crop water use, and surface soil properties are also automatically provided for each crop sequence calculation.

The program provides many agronomic tutorials ands also offers numerous links to internet websites to aid the decision making process. 

The Crop Sequence Calculator is available at www.mandan.ars.usda.gov.

One of the first agricultural research facilities in the region, the 90-year old Mandan laboratory is supported by over 40 scientists and support staff.

The Laboratory’s annual “Research Results Workshop” will be held at the Mandan Seven Seas Inn and Convention Center on Jan 27, 2004.  The event is free and open to the public.