Meeting the Drought Information Needs of Midwest Perennial Specialty Crop Producers Journal Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Abstract; Agricultural production in the U.S. Midwest is vulnerable to drought, and specialty crop producers are an underserved audience for monitoring information and decision-support tools. We investigate the decision-making needs of apple, grape, and cranberry growers using a participatory process to develop crop-specific decision calendars. The process highlights growers’ decisions and information needs during the winter dormant, growing, harvest, and postharvest seasons. Apple, grape, and cranberry growers tend to be concerned with the effects of short-term drought on current crop quality and quantity, while also considering the long-term drought effect on the health of perennial plants and future years’ production. We find gaps in drought information particularly for tactical and strategic decision-making. We describe the use of decision calendars to identify points of entry for existing drought monitoring resources and tools, and to highlight where additional research and tool development is needed.; ; Significance Statement; While drought causes agricultural losses in the U.S. Midwest, more is known about the impacts and decision-support needs of commodity row crop growers in the region than those of perennial specialty crop growers. We find opportunities for climate information providers to tailor drought information delivery to perennial fruit growers according to the season, the parameters that are relevant to their decisions, and the timeframe of information needed for operational, tactical, and strategic decision-making.

publication date

  • July 1, 2022

has restriction

  • green

Date in CU Experts

  • June 23, 2022 9:47 AM

Full Author List

  • Haigh TR; Otkin JA; Woloszyn M; Todey D; Felkley C

author count

  • 5

Other Profiles

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 1558-8424

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1558-8432

Additional Document Info

start page

  • 839

end page

  • 855

volume

  • 61

issue

  • 7