Technical Yearbook 2023

The 200th installation took place in De Doorns on 21 October 2022. Gabrielle Redelinghuys (WinField United SA), Coenraad Groenewald (Metos ® SA), and Ebené Oranje-Swarts (Metos ® SA).

Carina Olivier, Marketing Portfolio Lead: Ag-Tech and Services at WUSA, says that the stations provide access to live, real-time data and hyper-localised weather forecasts for up to seven days. Knowing what weather conditions to expect in the short term provides valuable, actionable insights. For example, with over 80 disease models on 40 crops and optimal spray windows, producers can better protect their crops. By integrating and modelling weather data over the longer term, TerraClim assists growers to identify the crop and cultivar best suited to a location. This is critical for the sustainability of agriculture as certain crops or cultivars may no longer be viable in regions where they once thrived. Mapping extremities, such as increased rainfall, colder winters and hotter summers in certain regions, also provide essential information for future crop planting and crop protection decisions.

Marius Boshoff points to the strategic importance of climate modelling, explaining that “it is well documented from various sources that La Niña weather patterns, with their above-average rainfall, are expected to end in October 2023, with El Niño bringing drier conditions into 2024, which will directly impact soil moisture”. Under the PPP, participating farmers are granted free access to a two-year hyper-localised weather forecasting licence and work planning tools, as well as a two-year disease model licence on the FieldClimate App. Other industry stakeholders also have access to the platform, although an annual licence fee is payable. Olivier concluded, “gathering accurate data through a network of strategically-placed weather stations and collating the data will assist to mitigate the risk of climate change and help prepare for the fast-changing future”. 

For more information, contact Gabrielle Redelinghuys at GRedelinghuys@WinFieldUnited.co.za.

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TECHNICAL YEARBOOK 2023