Toolbox
Farmers
WeatherFarm
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Customizable growing-degree-day maps! |
What is WeatherFarm™?
It's weather in a whole new vane! WeatherFarm is a free, online weather information centre designed exclusively for Prairie farmers. Its innovative agronomic tools can make your farm-management decisions easier.
View the WeatherFarm YouTube video to learn more.
Is it really free?
Absolutely! All you need is a computer with high speed Internet access. Registration is easy at www.weatherfarm.com. You do not need to own a weather station to use the online WeatherFarm centre.
WeatherFarm offers you:
- the ability to manage data pulled from 700 weather stations on farms, grain elevators and agri-retail outlets across Western Canada.
- new information harvested every five seconds, localized right to the farm field where each station is located, and from over 100 Environment Canada stations across the West.
- agronomic modelling tools and risk maps to help you determine spray days, prioritize field scouting and assess freeze severity.
- growth stage development and disease models based on YOUR seeding dates, focused on YOUR local area.
- historical and monthly weather data to save and graph over time; three- and seven-day forecasts; weather watches and warnings.
- daily farm news, futures prices and CWB prices.
- the opportunity to buy your own WeatherFarm monitoring station and customize online weather tools to your own fields.
Click here for more information about WeatherFarm.
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Can it be customized?
Yes. Simply input YOUR location to bring up the most relevant information. WeatherFarm can also generate crop risk maps for a 60-kilometre radius around the weather station closest to your farm.
How can I get my own station?
- stations can be ordered online through the CWB's GrainShop. A $100 deposit is required at time of ordering. All the details are available by clicking here.
- each solar-powered WeatherFarm station comes with wireless repeater, Internet data logger, professional installation and five years' annual maintenance, including parts and repairs.
- high-speed Internet access is needed if you want to link your own WeatherBug station to the network.
Background
The weather network was launched in 2007 by farmers through the CWB and WeatherBug® , with support from partners like Richardson International and Bayer CropScience. The network is on track to revolutionize the way weather information is gathered, shared and used in Canada – by farmers, media, business, government and the public – enhancing services from Environment Canada. It is the largest private weather network in Canada.
WeatherFarm in the news
- Newest WeatherFarm tool tracks crop development (May 20, 2010)
- Farmers grow largest weather network in Western Canada (December 2, 2009)
- CWB launches new online WeatherBug centre for farmers (June 18, 2008)
- Weather "summit" examines role for rapidly growing new network in a changing climate (April 4, 2008)
- Innovative new weather network sprouts from Prairie soil (August 15, 2007)
Photos
To download high-resolution photographs, right-click on images and select 'Save target as...'
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View video:
Chris Kletke discusses the benefits of hosting a weather station on his farm at Brunkild, MB:
- Windows Media (.wmv 1.32MB)
- MPEG-4 (.mov 1.22MB)
Guy Ash, project manager of the CWB's weather station project, talks about the network's value to farmers:
- Windows Media (.wmv 2.38MB)
- MPEG-4 (.mov 2.25MB)
Click on the links above to play the videos. Some PCs will play the file and others will try saving it to your hard drive first. If your network prevents playing the file automatically due to a firewall, right click on the link and select "Save Target As." This will prompt you to choose a place on your hard drive to save the file before viewing it.
