Farmers can now optimize wheat spraying and field scouting activities using a new customizable modelling tool on WeatherFarm™, a free online weather centre designed exclusively for Prairie producers.
WeatherFarm’s newest feature enables farmers to generate a growing-degree-day map of their local region, customizable to their own seeding dates.
“Farmers can now more easily determine the best time and the best conditions to spray their fields,” said CWB agronomist Mike Grenier. “More effective applications can lead to cost-savings that will have a positive impact on farmers’ bottom lines.”
WeatherFarm’s unique growth-stage model is an improvement over current growing- degree-day tools, which are not customizable by seeding date and region.
The new growing-degree-day models will continue to be enhanced in future releases with the addition of more crops and increased functionality. Growing degree days are a measure of heat accumulation, used by farmers and agronomists to predict crop growth and stage of development.
WeatherFarm development will continue on an ongoing basis with additional agronomic support tools to help farmers manage pests and disease, and to increase the effectiveness of their crop-protection and crop-management practices. Upcoming features include enhancements to models for wheat midge and fusarium.
“The future of weather and agronomic information is WeatherFarm,” Grenier added. “For farmers, that future keeps looking brighter as WeatherFarm continues to add new and innovative tools to its free online weather centre.”
WeatherFarm is backed by a network of 700 Prairie weather stations in the Canadian WeatherBug Network, making it the largest weather network in Western Canada. More than 6,800 farmers have subscribed to the WeatherFarm online centre since its launch in December 2009. Registration and use of WeatherFarm is free and easy at www.weatherfarm.com.
Farmers who want extremely localized weather data can purchase their own field station. Details are available at www.cwb.ca/weatherfarm. The network of stations was launched in August 2007 by farmers through the CWB, WeatherBug® Professional and corporate supporters.
WeatherBug Professional, a brand of AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc., offers information services and products for businesses, schools and government agencies to receive precise, live weather conditions and early warnings. WeatherBug has partnered with the CWB to initiate the new weather network and online centre, providing its technological infrastructure. Other industry partners, such as Richardson International and Bayer CropScience, have played an important role in the growth of this service for farmers.
