Harvest picture -- credit Glen Miller

By Dori Modney with files from Canada Agriculture

Agricultural decision making could benefit from extreme weather indices

Jun 24, 2019 | 6:25 PM

OTTAWA — Weather, without a doubt, is the biggest factor for farmers to consider when preparing for planting and harvest.

With that in mind, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada joined forces with Environment Canada to create a new on-line program to help producers prepare for extreme weather.

The weather indices, which are short-term weekly forecasts which will contain information that can be viewed for up to a month in advance. They are available online and predict extreme weather factors such as temperature, heat, wind and precipitation.

Within the wind category, farmers will be able to see “Probability of Drying Day Occurrence” maps which will be particularly important during the planting and harvesting seasons.

During the growing season, there’s the “Maximum Wind Speed” and “Number of Strong Wind Days” look ahead to help predict the spread of pests and when to spray.

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Work on the project began in 2006 when both agencies signed an agreement to collaborate by sharing climate data. The site includes a tutorial on how to navigate and use the information.

As the site is new, Environment Canada is encouraging feedback. The link can be found at Extreme Weather Indices.