Better Farming - August 2016

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42 Farm News First > Better Farming August 2016
CROPS:YIELDMATTER$
Just how do we go about getting
field-level weather data?
It’s worth the time to investigate
the possible service providers and see
what they have to offer. There are
many automated stations on the
market currently that can be set up
and wirelessly transmit data right to
the farm office. Of course, doing it
the manual way with a rain gauge
and thermometer is still an option.
There are also many large cloud-
based companies entering the
marketplace that offer subscription-
based services. These companies use
Doppler radar and local stations to
gather and interpolate rainfall and
temperature across the region down
to a field level. Some local companies
are also offering a similar service with
an abundance of ground-based
weather stations to obtain the
necessary field level data.
The allure of data capture is to use
it to run growth models and predict
inputs and outcomes, and the value
may well come from how the user
interacts with the data. Can it be
turned into insightful, impactful, and
profitable management actions?
We talk a lot about the weather
and do very little about it.
At least now with emerging
services we have a chance to look at
individual fields and understand how
weather interacts with our crop
growth stages, in the fields of our own
operations.
In the current “climate” of
sustainability initiatives and demands
for transparency by end users and
consumers, the weather records at a
field level may provide the due
diligence for actions that are, or may
be, taken to protect the food supply.
Every action requires justification.
What is yours? BF
Dale Cowan is a senior agronomist with
AGRIS Wanstead Cooperatives.
GETTY
Every action requires justification.
What is yours?