48 Thank You for Your Trust & Time, Since 1999 Better Farming | January 2025 How it Works TWO KEY WEATHER TOOLS REPLACED How tech has improved farm weather forecasting. By Ralph Winfield Barometers were once very important as weather predictors. I have maintained one near the kitchen table at the farm for many years. It was given to me when I left my position at Ontario Hydro in Toronto. If or when the barometric pressure reading falls, it’s an indication that a bad weather front is coming in; the storm front brought on as the result of low barometric pressure. Barometric readings are in inches of mercury, with the normal range being between 28 and 31. Readings over 30 indicate very dry weather. Readings below 28 indicate that it’s raining or a storm event is about to occur. I still remember the morning when our electrical power failed. I looked at the barometer. The reading was well below 28. I immediately decided that was a warning sign and I called my boss to say I was not leaving the house to drive to Woodstock that day. I was thankful for the barometer, as it turned out to be one of the stormiest days in my memory bank. Shortly after we moved back to the home farm, Hugh Martin, our local soil and crop advisor, convinced me it would be worthwhile to purchase a weather alert machine. Hugh said it would be a good investment, giving you notice in advance of impending storms. I took that advice, and a small box (purchased from Radio Shack) still sits on my dresser, relaying storm alerts through a signal from Environmental Canada. As I write this article, the weather “siren” has gone off three times already, to alert our household of an impending thunder and lightning storm coming in from the west. The box provides weather updates whenever the large button is pushed. But more importantly, it automatically provides verbal weather updates when a major storm is predicted for my location. Environment Canada still provides weather information to that desktop model. I have not used it extensively, but weather alerts are still available. The monthly performance tests still occur. In more recent years, most of us have acquired cell phones. They are even more helpful because they can be carried while receiving indications of weather conditions, including severe weather alerts such as tornadoes. You don’t have to go to that older machine and press the buttons. As farmers, we all depend on the weather, especially predictions made. They still have a lot to do with how we decide whether or not to make hay or plant crops. This barometer has become a wall ornament. Ralph Winfield photo
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