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via SDSU Extension
BROOKINGS, S.D. — Thanks to a public-private partnership, Marshall County has a new weather station. The station, sponsored by Full Circle Ag of Britton, reports live weather and ag data. It will operate as a part of the statewide network of weather stations maintained by South Dakota State University.
Joe Gustafson, Location Manager at Full Circle Ag, saw the need for agricultural weather monitoring in Marshall County. He contacted Nathan Edwards, Network Manager, to see what options were available. Full Circle Ag became a station sponsor, covering the annual cost of operating the station.
“Sponsorships like this are essential to the ongoing operations of these stations,” said Edwards. “We can’t do this alone.”
Other stations are in need of sponsorship. Check the list here to see if there is a station in need of sponsorship in your county.
The South Dakota Weather Network
With reports several times per hour and the goal of one station per county, South Dakota State University’s network of weather stations is the state’s source for live and local weather. General weather information is accessible to the public.
The agricultural industry benefits from tools related to irrigation scheduling, planting, chemical application, evaluation of soil conditions, etc. A continuous data feed to the National Weather Service is used for forecasting and is critical to their weather warning operations. Additionally, the stations also help in drought monitoring as well as flood forecasting. The stations measure: temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, sunshine, soil temperature and rainfall.
Ag-Specific Weather Products
“For those in agriculture, our most popular resource is the ‘Ag Weather’ tool,” Edwards said.
To utilize this weather tool, simply visit climate.sdstate.edu. Selecting a station and dates yields a daily breakdown of ag weather variables for an entire season or part of it. For those decisions that need to be made on the spot with what information is available from the cab of a pickup or tractor, the mobile web site is available at climate.sdstate.edu/mobile and provides current conditions, recent history, forecasts and any warnings that might be in effect.
