Winter is upon us and that creates a special need for weather information for farmers, especially in high value crops like fruits, vegetables and nursery. To learn how the Agricultural Weather Information Service (AWIS) creates extra weather information and forecasting I spoke to Karl Harker, Vice-President for Operations for AWIS. I asked him about any information he’d like to share …
Senate Hearing on Disaster Relief Funding
The Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing Wednesday on the $100 billion request for disaster funding from the Biden Administration. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) kicked off the discussion by outlining some of the devastating losses experienced in Georgia by agricultural producers as a results of Hurricane Helene. “Hurricane-force winds and torrential rains destroyed fall crops still in the field, knocked …
Helene Causes Extensive Damage in Southeast
Agricultural damage from Hurricane Helene is being evaluated this week around the southeast. At a press conference Sunday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said they expect the damage toll to be worse than Hurricane Michael in 2018. “We know we have 107 poultry facilities damaged or totally destroyed, 15 dairies that have been affected and dozens and dozens of other facilities,” …
Evolving Weather Patterns Challenge Farmers
Changing precipitation patterns continue to challenge farmers across the Corn Belt, according to Dennis Todey, director of USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub. “As the agricultural landscape evolves, it’s vital to keep farmers informed with the latest data and insights,” said Todey. “Understanding changes in weather patterns and other factors empowers them to make better decisions and optimize their operations.” Todey recently …
DWFI Podcast 36 – Impacts of Drought on Human Health
Drought is a prolonged dry period that can occur anywhere in the world and results in a water shortage. Unlike some other disasters, drought has a slow onset and a prolonged impact on health, agriculture, economies, energy and the environment. An estimated 55 million people globally are affected by droughts every year and as many as 700 million people are …
DWFI Podcast 33 – Economic Cost of Drought
Aakanksha Melkani, a postdoctoral research associate at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI), researches the economic implications of drought in the United States, specifically on agricultural sectors. In this edition of the Water for Food Podcast, we are sharing an episode of Nebraska on Tap, a podcast produced by the Middle Republican Natural Resources District in Nebraska. Host …
ZimmCast 721 – AWIS Winter Weather Ag Forecast Services
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. In this episode I’m going to share a timely interview. You’ll hear my conversation with Karl Harker, Vice President for Operations, Agricultural Weather Information Service. AWIS is advertising on AgNewsWire to reach new prospects for their services. That’s what we’ll be talking about as we approach winter which is a very important one for …
CattleFax Predicts Producer Profitability and Drought Relief
The popular CattleFax Outlook Seminar was presented Thursday at the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in New Orleans forecasting producer profitability in 2023 and potential drought relief. Prices and profitability will again favor cattle producers in 2023. The cattle industry is entering 2023 with the smallest cattle supply since 2015 as drought caused the industry to dig …
Preliminary Hurricane Losses to Agriculture in Florida
According to preliminary assessments by the University of Florida, the combination of seasonal crops, livestock, nursery and aquaculture products potentially lost as a result of Hurricane Ian will likely range between $787 million and $1.56 billion. “This estimate only accounts for production losses, or changes in expected revenues for the current calendar or market year; citrus, for example, had not …
Weather Forecasting Tops Cotton Consultants Conference
From drought to hurricanes, weather is the single biggest variable for any farming operation, so first up this morning for the 2021 Beltwide Cotton Consultants Conference General Session was atmospheric scientist Eric Snodgrass with Nutrien Ag Solutions. Snodgrass took participants on an interesting journey from the Dust Bowl of the 1930s to what weather may lie ahead in the next …