MAY 1996
Three Tools to Farm Smarter in 1996
By David Boehm
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Prairie Grains is the
official publication of
the Minnesota
Association of
Wheat Growers,
North Dakota Grain Growers Association,
South Dakota Wheat,
Inc., and the
Minnesota Barley
Growers Association.
Such as the North Dakota Ag Weather Network (NDAWN), where growers can get weather data via computer modems and the NDSU Extension Service. For a $30 subscription fee, growers can access wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric pressure, solar radiation, rainfall, temperature, and growing degree days for various crops.
The NDAWN system uses data from 48 automatic weather stations across North Dakota as well as past weather data, crop cycles and disease cycles. Models can then be created to predict the development of crops and diseases. Growers who use the system are armed with more accurate weather information, and thus, are better able to treat crop problems.
Another weather information tool is available from the University of North Dakota's Regional Weather Information Service. The Agricultural Weather Information Distribution System, or AgWINDS, was established in 1992 and provides access to weather related information, including precipitation, wind speed, air and soil temperatures, and dew points.
AgWINDS software for home computers (prerequisite: Windows 3.1 or better, modems with at least a 1,200 baud rate) is free to any producer, and the communication software is included. For more information on NDAWN call NDSU climatologist John Enz at 701-231-8576, and for AgWINDS, call Leon Osborne, UND's weather center director, at 701-777-2479.
Best Management Practices
Through the National Association of Wheat Growers Foundation and the Cooperative Extension System, grain producers can receive a free copy of the Best Management Practices for Wheat, or BMP manual.
The manual provides growers with background on profitable and environmentally sound production practices, including crop rotation tips, setting yield goals, nitrogen timing and rates, using tramlines, pesticide application timing and methods, and harvest management. The manual also gives a user-friendly, how-to approach in implementing sound conservation practices. A second section of the manual summarizes practical applications of BMPs,
Brad Fay, a Williston, ND, farmer and past president of the North Dakota Grain Growers, was part of the NAWG team that developed the manual. He says it is useful not only for producers as an information guide, but also as a model in federal regulatory circles. The manual illustrates the fact that wheat growers have taken a leadership role in promoting the voluntary adoption of environmentally-sound production practices.
To receive a free copy of the BMP manual, call your state wheat association or the NAWG at 202-547-7800.