Limestone Coast farmers set to benefit from new Mesonet weather network
Primary producers across the Limestone Coast can now access the latest weather information to empower them to know the safest time to apply agrichemicals with 43 new high resolution Mesonet stations operational across the region.
The $2.35m development of the Mesonet stations in the South East, which also covers the McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek wine regions, was funded through the State Government.
The Mesonet infrastructure provides real-time data on conditions that could lead to spray drift, equipping farmers with the information to avoid causing damage to off-target crops, rainwater tanks and the natural environment.
Mesonet systems provide more information than what is generally available which each station able to differentiate between hazardous and non-hazardous inversions.
The network also provides other useful weather data such as information about fire danger, rainfall, frost, humidity and crop phenology metrics.
The entire Mesonet network, which spans across the Mid-North and Riverland/Mallee region as well, now boasts 114 stations and covers half of the state’s cropping districts.
The Limestone Coast project was undertaken by a partnership between the MacKillop Farm Management Group (MFMG) and COtL Mesonet Team.
COtL is the business that maintains and operates the Mesonet infrastructure to ensure longevity.
It is free to sign up to the Limestone Coas at www.mesonet.com.au for the next few months.
Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Clare Scriven said the opening of the Limestone Coast Mesonet was an exciting milestone.
“The expansion of the network will enable primary producers across the region to have real-time data at hand to help them make responsible and informed decisions to reduce the likelihood of spray drift,” she said.
“Spray drift can have a devastating impact on agricultural production, which is why it’s important we continue to educate and put management tools in place to address this issue.
COtL Mesonet Director Damon Grace said the Mesonet was backbone infrastructure for South Australia’s agricultural regions providing high-quality ag-weather data to SA primary producers.
“The Mesonet has many benefits, but its primary aim is to display real-time hazardous inversion data which has been the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to addressing spray drift,” he said.
“The recent expansion of the Mesonet into the Limestone Coast is a boon for primary producers in the state’s South East.”
