An ArcView GIS extension that queries a Sybase RDBMS was developed to support production estimation and crop assessment functions within USDA. The database consists of global gridded and station daily weather data, crop models, and vegetative indexes derived from remotely sensed imagery (Landsat TM and AVHRR LAC). This paper focuses on techniques utilized to quickly access components of this database and solutions to problems encountered while performing Avenue/Sybase SQL database query code integration. The paper also describes the customization of tools that enable users to detect changes in regional crop conditions based on their ArcView GIS database queries.