How weather stations can help make more informed crop management decisions
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Reference: Decisive Farming
Up your defenses against unpredictable Mother Nature with an on-farm weather station’s accurate weather monitoring, forecasting and historical data
There’s a long-enduring sentiment in Canadian agriculture that when farmers gather, they’re usually talking about the weather. There’s a good reason for this. After all, there are many things you can control on the farm from crop planning to agronomy but Mother Nature tends to get her way. More western Canadian farms are turning to ag-tech, including an on-farm weather station, which helps provide useful data to optimize farm management planning, decisions and activities while mitigating adverse events and outcomes.
Weather variability and your farm operation
The prairies are well-known for an unpredictable climate. Weather varies on any given day and even across mere kilometres. When you turn to public weather information, there’s a possibility it’s not accurately representing the real-time1 environment or what’s actually happening in your fields.
Changes in rain, temperature, wind and humidity all directly impact your farm production. This includes crop growth, irrigation decisions, pesticide requirements as well as yield potential. By better understanding weather variability in real-time1 through your on-farm weather station, losses in production and revenue are more easily minimized.
Moisture matters
Every crop has its own requirements around precipitation and soil moisture for healthy plant development – and these vary at different growth stages. Giving your crop the best chance for success starts by seeding it at the ideal moisture conditions right off the bat. Once you’ve established that solid foundation in crop health, plants have a better chance at remaining resilient throughout the growing season while detailed moisture data continues to drive good decisions.Your on-farm weather station provides you with constant and detailed rainfall and humidity data. You can easily access accumulated precipitation or the total precipitation within a specific time frame based on your farm’s historical data. This knowledge helps you determine which crops will more likely thrive in that field as well as what conditions you might expect come harvest time based on previous years’ accumulated precipitation data. Your weather station’s real-time1 weather and future forecasts can also help you make improved water-related decisions, including holding off on irrigation or protecting crops from frost.
Weather impacts strong planning and decision-making farm
Through its sophisticated field monitoring and weather forecasting, your on-farm weather station means you’ve got an extra set of eyes on your fields. Having access to real-time1 weather data also means planning and fieldwork activities can be done using more information and stronger predictability.
Here are some important ways your on-farm weather station and its comprehensive weather information make for strategic fieldwork planning and stronger farm-wide decisions:
Crop planting – Using your historical weather station data, you can better predict the ideal seeding time according to the crop’s moisture requirements or frost susceptibility.
In season crop growth and irrigation – Using accurate historical data and your weather station’s real-time1 forecast information, gain valuable insight and tracking around each growth stage for specific crops and moisture needs, including when, where and how much you’ll likely need to irrigate.
Fertility fundamentals – Your on-farm weather station’s data can help ensure conditions are right for application, identifying that ideal window where good soil moisture levels can absorb the product while also being dry enough to avoid wasteful and expensive washing away.
Pest and disease control – By understanding your real-time1 weather conditions, you can monitor the intensity of pest and disease scouting you should take on. These predictive analytics can greatly assist in protecting crops through pest and disease prevention and treatment, including the best time to apply pest and/or disease control products according to wind and rain conditions.
Field activity – Weather monitoring can help you better assess your field workability according to soil moisture and temperature before taking unnecessary trips out to the field. This can vastly boost day-to-day operational efficiency and collaboration across your team
Leveraging farm technology and data analytics, including an on-farm weather station with accurate weather information specific to your fields, can drive improved decision-making across the entire farm enterprise. As crop planning and field activities become more efficient, costs are minimized and profits are maximized. You might not control Mother Nature, but with the help of an on-farm weather station, your defenses will be up.
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