The Minnesota Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the North Dakota Ag Weather Network, has begun the installation of weather stations across the agricultural regions of the state to provide local, real-time weather information.

The data provided is intended to help farmers with tasks such as irrigation management, pesticide application, manure and fertilizer application, and other practices. Weather data including rainfall, temperature, wind and humidity are provided, along with disease risk assessments, growing degree days, daily estimates of crop water use and air temperature inversions.

Information is housed at the NDAWN website. There, you will find menus including regional maps and various climate and soil parameters.

Weather conditions vary greatly across the state and can greatly influence farming practices. The goal of this program is to make local weather information available within 20 miles of most agricultural areas. About 80 stations would be required to achieve this goal.

The Minnesota Ag Weather Network expansion was made possible through a legislative appropriation of $3 million from the Clean Water Fund. About 40 weather stations will be installed over the next two to three years. The first stations were installed in southern Minnesota in August.

The initial set of 38 weather stations were concentrated in central Minnesota to aid irrigators in improving irrigation scheduling and better managing nitrogen applications to reduce leaching. The statewide network also will provide soil temperature information important in the timing of fall manure and fertilizer applications.

Some of these stations will be installed on private land, so farmers are encouraged to check the map of the targeted expansion area and indicate their interest by applying to host a weather station on their land by contacting the MDA. More information can be found on the Minnesota Ag Weather Network website.