Importance of Effective Micro-Weather Management to Growers
One of the most important environmental factors monitored by growers is temperature. Whether it’s a climatic perspective, a timeliness of operations question, or when considering proactive decisions based on temperature data, the role of temperature is of utmost importance. Until now growers have relied on the Internet, local TV station, or a weather station located kilometers away for their temperature information.
These sources of weather data have limited regional variation, but the data is usually accurate only where the measurements took place. There are many micro factors that can affect weather conditions on a farm, including local terrain, soil, buildings, bodies of water, and other variables. These micro factors can dramatically influence air temperature, humidity, and wind patterns across a farm. Relying on these more general weather sources is often a poor representation of conditions in your locality, and more specifically, on your farm.
Experts recognize the more localized and time-specific temperature data can be, the more grower will be informed in their decision-making. Further, when a farmer has a strong data pool accumulated for a specific site or farm, the farmer can make better long-term decisions relative to rotation, variety selection, and other cultural practices. The value of daily growing degree day readings enables you to monitor insect and disease development and can be invaluable as an integrated pest management tool, as well as evaluating crop development.