DELIVERY OF SITE-SPECIFIC WEATHER SERVICES TO AGRICULTURAL CLIENTS

Dr. Ron Pitblado

WEATHERINNOVATIONS

INCORPORATED

PERSPECTIVES

• REGIONAL vs. SITE-SPECIFIC

- SKYBIT – failed in Canada – not specific enough

- REGIONAL MAPS – failed as a grower’s tool but used by extension and government

• ACE – Manitoba• Growth Stage – Alberta• Weatherbug - Canada Wheat Board

STAGE OF CEREAL DEVELOPMENT

Fusarium Head Blight

DISEASE CONTROL STRATEGIES

1. Reduce initial inoculum

- when to start

2. Reduce the build up of disease

- how often and when to apply

subsequent fungicide applications

SENSORS

• Compact Unit.

• Modem Data Retrieval or Manual.

• Capable of logging entire

growing season.

TOMcast - ESSEX

• Client supplies WIN with their field locations.• WIN creates a unique data-file to create a custom and secure web-page.• WIN gives a user ID and a Password.• Client logs into WIN site and is presented with several new features.

The Seed

• Ontario Canada - Spring 2000– The provincial agricultural ministry decides to reorganize– When government decided to just “train the trainers”…. – they quit providing direct IPM advisories to growers,– and they hoped private businesses would fill the

consulting gaps

• Ridgetown College, University of Guelph– Researchers recognize the challenges delivering IPM

programs to growers– Decide to develop a cost recovery system to serve

agriculture– Study IPM programs in other regions and countries

The Germination - 2000

• The Informal Study Concluded…– Too much university research is never

delivered to the farm community.– Governments in many places are providing

less direct support for advisory services.– Rapid growth in many technologies becomes

difficult for individual consultants to manage.– Weather model businesses are not easy to

operate

The Emergence - 2001

• The project started very small and survived on trust and the encouragement of a few researchers!– Dr. Ron Pitblado, the author of several

fungicide timing models was one of the foundation researchers.

– Many researchers helped, including Dr. Terry Gillespie and Dr. Paulo Sentelhas who were working at the Guelph campus.

Early Growth

• First Leaf - TOMcast - 2000 – It had been delivered by the government and was one of the

victims of the cutting of the government extension services. So we took over from the government and then improved the delivery of the model to growers.

– This model works well for us because we continue to make the original leaf wetness sensors that were used when the model was developed

Early Growth

• First Leaf - TOMcast - 2000 • Second Leaf- BEETcast - 2001

– BEETcast is a fungicide timing model for the proper spray timing to reduce the damage from Cercospora Leaf spot on sugar beets. The model helps growers protect the crop before visual damage can be observed on the plant canopy. Prevention leads to higher returns for the grower. Each year we add new features to the delivery service.

– BEETcast is another of Ron’s models

Cercospora Leaf Spot

Early Growth

• First Leaf - TOMcast - 2000 • Second Leaf- BEETcast - 2001• Third Leaf - DONcast - 2002

– DONcast predicts what the DON toxin level will be in wheat at harvest time. The prediction is made just after heading time so an assessment of the need for protective fungicides can be made early enough to take action. DONcast has been run in several countries.

Days Relative to Wheat Head Emergence (Zadoks 59)-8 -4 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32

Rain,Tmin

Rain,Tave,Tmax,

RH

Rain,Tave,

RHTmax Rain

Heading Harvest +/-Anthesis Soft Dough

DONcast v2005 Critical Periods of Wx~ from Heading to Harvest ~

Early Growth

• First Leaf - TOMcast - 2000 • Second Leaf - BEETcast - 2001• Third Leaf - DONcast - 2002• Fourth Leaf - Ontario Crop Insurance -

2003 – The crop insurance agency wanted to insure

forage crops based on precipitation (the biggest influence) rather than yield (which is hard to measure in forage crops).

– WIN got the contract to install 350 recording rainfall stations and gather the data. (we also built our own rain gauges for this project)

Early Growth

• First Leaf - TOMcast - 2000 • Second Leaf- BEETcast - 2001• Third Leaf - DONcast - 2002• Fourth Leaf - Ontario Crop Insurance - 2003 • Fifth Leaf - Grape programs - 2003

– The Ontario Grape Growers association owned a small network of stations but did not understand how to add value to a weather program. They were struggling and they decided to give us the network if we would help get some commercial value from these weather stations

– We now offer a variety of programs for these growers.

Ice on Vineyard Equipment

Early Growth

• First Leaf - TOMcast - 2000 • Second Leaf- BEETcast - 2001• Third Leaf - DONcast - 2002• Fourth Leaf - Ontario Crop Insurance - 2003 • Fifth Leaf - Grape programs - 2003 • Sixth Leaf - Apple models – 2003

– We have adapted a suite of models for apple production and have done enough collaborative research to adapt the service to the needs of Ontario growers. The commercial interest is now starting to grow quickly.

Apple

Early Growth

• First Leaf - TOMcast - 2000 • Second Leaf- BEETcast - 2001• Third Leaf - DONcast - 2002• Fourth Leaf - Ontario Crop Insurance - 2003 • Fifth Leaf - Grape programs - 2003 • Sixth Leaf - Apple models - 2003• Seventh Leaf - Corn Flea Beetle - 2003

– We launched into the forecasting of an over wintering insect.– We now can provide advisory information on many insects

Mosquito Traps

Drain

Can weather station data predictthe outbreaks ofmosquitoes andwarn against theWest Nile Virus ?

Early Growth

• First Leaf - TOMcast - 2000 • Second Leaf- BEETcast - 2001• Third Leaf - DONcast - 2002• Fourth Leaf - Ontario Crop Insurance - 2003 • Fifth Leaf - Grape programs - 2003 • Sixth Leaf - Apple models - 2003• Seventh Leaf - Corn Flea Beetle - 2003• Eighth leaf - Saskatchewan CIC - 2005

– Saskatchewan Crop Insurance hired WIN to run the provincial monitoring for insurance programs.

– In year 2006 they doubled our contract

Flowering 2006

• The program outgrows the university mandate and is purchased from the university. The principals are…– Ian – business and marketing – Rob – systems and computing, operations– Ron – pathology, entomology, agronomy

• We move the staff out of the university facility

Locations, Staff, Facilities

• Chatham Ontario

8 - 12 central office employees • Operation Centers

2 - 4 home office employees

Ontario and Saskatchewan • Contract staff

15 – 20 casual employees

Manitoba and Ontario• Researchers and collaborators

– Frequently engaged in WIN’s work

10 cm

30 cm

50 cm

Tomatoes Surface Drip Tape

TriSCAN TriSCAN HOW TO FOLLOW YOUR HOW TO FOLLOW YOUR

FERTILIZER APPLIATIONSFERTILIZER APPLIATIONS

SPUDcast

SPUDcastSPUDcast

MODEL A -TIMED INTERVAL SPRAYINGMODEL A -TIMED INTERVAL SPRAYING

- choose the high fungicide- choose the high fungicide labelled labelled rates rates - spray according to the accumulative SPUD values- spray according to the accumulative SPUD values SPRAY RecommendationSPRAY Recommendation

Initial Spray ApplicationInitial Spray Application 150 SPUD values150 SPUD valuesSubsequent SpraysSubsequent Sprays 50 SPUD values50 SPUD values

MODEL B - DYNAMIC DOSAGE MODEL MODEL B - DYNAMIC DOSAGE MODEL

- using a protectant fungicide program use the lower recommended - using a protectant fungicide program use the lower recommended rates under the LOW RISK criteria based on the weather conditions rates under the LOW RISK criteria based on the weather conditions during the past 7-days. Use the higher recommended fungicide rate during the past 7-days. Use the higher recommended fungicide rate under a MODERATE RISK criteria or choose a late blight targeted under a MODERATE RISK criteria or choose a late blight targeted fungicide under a HIGH RISK of late blight criteria.fungicide under a HIGH RISK of late blight criteria.

CUKEcast

SPRAYcast ADVISORY

Fusarium Pink Ear Rot

Pollination - 2007

• WIN now has a good core of contract accounts and an even larger number of models and programs in development.

COLLABORATIONPUBLIC - PRIVATE

• DONcast –science based discoveries– WIN can put them together and deliver a

product

• Government Delivery Systems – publically funded– Will exclude private initiatives – can’t

compete with a free service– Inadvertently the government delivery

systems will slow down the implementation of IPM programs

PERSPECTIVES

• Weather Networks – governments to offer weather information – basic right

• Territorial issues – extension staff• Research Support – Funding only the

science component – no funds for initial implementation

• National Research Programs – private companies “do not apply”

• Growers group –waiting for government support

www.weatherinnovations.com