Recent work by D. Adeline Yeh (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service), Bingyan Dai, and Miguel I. Gomez (Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University) presents an interactive tool to help growers determine the cost-effectiveness of cold storage facilities in managing spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) in blueberry production.
The tool calculates economic outcomes based on a typical late-season blueberry farm in North Carolina, considering the impact of delayed market arrival due to cold storage.
Users can input data such as expected blueberry market price, SWD infestation rejection rate, farm-specific details, and cold storage investment information. The tool provides estimated economic outcomes, including revenue, production costs, annual profits, and the breakeven year for the cooling facility. It is based on a 2020 scientific article and can be accessed through the provided link.
SWD Cold storage investment with interactive tool_NC
Source: NC State University
