Weather and water resources can have the largest impact on a season’s crop outcome.  In fact, farmers rely so heavily on these items that it can almost become an obsession.  The days of watching the weather report on the local news are gone. Today, farmers have upgraded to 21st century technology and trust on-site, hyper-local weather stations.  

With a weather station device, a farmer can monitor in real-time temperatures and wind speeds, along with numerous other data points locally on his property.  Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, the historical weather data can be saved and in many cases studied and graphed on a local PC or a smartphone application.  

This data can assist the farmer in knowing exactly when to plant, fertilize, irrigate, and harvest based on current field conditions.  Obviously, it will also aide in crop transportation and other agricultural operations needed throughout the season.

At the present time, there are a number of weather station options available to farmers starting around $100.  Although, some farmers find themselves spending several hundred dollars to over $1000 by the time they add on all the features available to them.  

WxObservation, a website dedicated to providing product reviews on the top weather stations, makes recommendations for different needs and levels for farmers and hobbyists alike.  Most models today are wireless, but some can transmit data farther than others. Another differentiator is local data storage versus cloud-based storage.

A common theme in selecting a weather station for your farm seem to be to avoid the cheapest option.  Make sure to select something that is built to last and will cover your future needs as well as your current needs.   

Weather stations have been on farms for several years now.  In fact, Farm Industry News talked about it back in 2011.  Boy, how things have changed since then.    

Can you be an effective farmer without a weather station?  Sure, but why not use every tool at your disposal to increase the odds of success?  Technology will continue to play a larger role in our everyday lives and we should embrace it!

The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of AgriTechTomorrow

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