Weather INnovations Incorporated works on a number of ongoing contracts as well as long and short term research projects. This page outlines some of the programs we are currently working on.

Agricorp Forage Rainfall Plan

Agricorp's Forage Rainfall Plan is a production insurance plan designed to protect producers against seasonal drought. Since 2003, we have worked with Agricorp by collecting rainfall data across Ontario.

The project consists of 350 manually downloaded rainfall collection units. Each collection site consists of two rain gauges. One is equipped with a tipping bucket rain gauge and data logger, to measure every 0.2mm of rainfall. The other gauge collects rain directly. These stations are visited twice monthly by Weather Innovations collectors who download the data from the logger and measure the accumulated rainfall. The raw data is then relayed to our offices where our quality assurance specialists check it for anomalous or errant values. When the quality control process is complete, the data is provided to Agricorp for use in determining claims.

TOMcast

Developed by Dr. Ron Pitblado, TOMcast is a disease-warning model which establishes a timed fungicide spraying program for Early Blight, Septoria Leaf Spot and Anthracnose on processing tomatoes. The model uses temperature and leaf wetness to determine optimal timing of spray. Disease control is managed from the accumulation of daily Disease Severity Values (DSV’s), which results in a recommendation for fungicide applications.

In partnership with the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers and several other sponsors, Weather Innovations uses an extensive network of weather stations to deliver the TOMcast program. Online DSV maps and accumulated DSV values provide growers with timely information for optimizing their spray programs.

BEETcast & Michigan Beets

One of the most serious diseases affecting sugarbeets is Cercospora Leafspot. This fungal disease attacks the plant foliage, causing small dead areas or spots. Under weather conditions favourable to disease, the whole leaf will turn black, resulting in a firing symptom that causes losses in crop yields and a reduction in sugar content.

BEETcast is a weather-based modelling program designed to help sugarbeet growers determine optimum fungicide application timing for the control of Cercospora. The project was originally initiated by the Michigan Sugarbeet Advancement Research Committee. Dr. Ron Pitblado, of Ridgetown College and Weather Innovations Incorporated, developed an advisory system to indicate the most suitable intervals for fungicide application. This advisory takes into account specific weather conditions, such as temperature and leaf wetness. Researchers from the Michigan Sugar Company, along with pathologists from Michigan State University, conducted trials to determine these initial optimum times.

BEETcast uses a scale of disease severity values (DSV), where each day is given a rating of 0 to 4, with 0 being a low risk day, and 4 being high. In order to determine when spraying is required, these DSV values accumulate until a number is reached, where spray application is recommended. This system allows growers to tailor their program to the level of risk management they are comfortable with, and to minimize the dollars spent on disease control.

Weather INnovations produces BEETcast maps for growers in Ontario on this website, and for growers in Michigan at michiganbeets.com

DONcast

The DONcast model, sponsored by Ontario Wheat Producers Marketing Board and your local crop products supplier, was developed to provide wheat producers with a means to predict deoxynivalenol toxin (DON) accumulation levels for better efficiency in spray decisions. WIN produces a forecast of DON levels at Stage 59 of the Zadoks system (75% of the heads in a canopy completely emerged from flag leaf). The DON predictions use weather forecast data, which is then supplemented with actual data from additional weather stations.

The accuracy of weather forecasts is less than perfect, and hence the reason that we have adopted the Site-Specific DONcast approach. With this calculator, producers can try different forecast weather scenarios. DON predictions for individual fields may vary depending on the wheat variety, crop rotation, tillage, heading date, and local weather conditions. These variables are all included in the WIN DONcast calculator, a tool available on this site, designed to give producers Site-Specific DON predictions.

WIN wishes to acknowledge the Ontario Wheat Producers’ Marketing Board and AAFC, Pesticide Risk Reduction Program, Pest Management Centre for their participation in supporting the recent upgrades to the DONcast model; and especially for encouraging the development of the Site-Specific DONcast.

Saskatchewan Crop Insurance

The Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) provides coverage to farmers for losses resulting from uncontrollable natural hazards such as drought and frost. In 2005, Weather Innovations Incorporated began working with SCIC, installing and maintaining a fully automated weather network that has grown to over one hundred stations across Saskatchewan.

The project uses a number of technologies to collect the raw data, including satellite, radio and cell download. Once the data is collected, it is processed into the WIN database and run through an extensive quality assurance/quality control process. This inspection process involves the use of visualization software and interpolation. SCIC is provided with the data, as well as a thorough monthly report during the growing season.

Apple Programs

Weather Innovations Incorporated has been participating in a long term project initiated by Norfolk Fruit Growers Association that seeks to further the development of models for disease, insects and phrenology. WIN supplies the project with weather monitoring instrumentation, data management and information processing. The comprehensiveness of the research and the long term potential for improving the quality of apples produced and marketed in the Simcoe region make this a project WIN is excited to be involved in.

Now in 2007, as the research and feasibility portion of this project comes to an end, WIN is in the process of developing a number of pest-specific models that will be delivered on weatherinnovations.com, for the benefit of apple growers across Ontario.

Grape Programs

In 2003, WIN acquired possession of the Niagara Agricultural Weather Network, a system of several stations distributed throughout the Niagara wine appellations, and has been steadily updating the network ever since. There are now upwards of 65 stations on the peninsula, providing near real time data for an increasing number of programs. Over the past several years, Weather Innovations has been collaborating with Grape Growers of Ontario and Vintner's Quality Alliance (VQA) to provide services to the Ontario grape industry. WIN has developed disease models for both downey and powdery mildews in an effort to increase the efficiency of spray-timing.

The Niagara Peninsula is the world’s leader in ice wine production. The area’s unique location provides both warm humid summers, and very cold winters. In order for a vineyard’s winter product to be considered ice wine, the grapes must be picked when the temperature at vine level is between -8 and -12 degrees Celsius. Due to the precise nature of this definition, it is crucial for growers to have an accurate means of temperature monitoring on site. WIN provides this monitoring with its own near real time stations. Since the crucial temperature range is often reached during nighttime hours, WIN also provides a system to alert producers when the conditions are right, enabling them to spring into action.

Most recently, WIN has become involved in the study of extreme cold temperature mitigation of grape vines. Under winter conditions, it is often the case that the air is warmer above the ground than it is at surface. Through the use of inversion fans, it is possible to bring the warmer air down to vine level, where the difference of a few degrees can make an impact in the area of frost management. As of the 2006 season, WIN installed 6 sixty-two foot inversion towers which monitor temperature at one, thirty-two and sixty-two feet levels. This monitoring supports both research and commercial use. When the temperature aloft is greater than that at ground level, the producer is alerted to engage the fans.

Seed Corn Projects

In 2003, we began participating in extensive irrigation studies for seed corn production with The Seed Corn Growers of Ontario. The first trials, conducted in 2003, studied the water budget approach to timed irrigation events. The system effectively estimated soil moisture throughout the season. However, the effort and accuracy required in determining field capacity and wilting points, measurement of rainfall and irrigation quantities and estimation of water loss through evapotranspiration, did not make this a practical system for the average grower.

In 2004 and 2005 a much more user-friendly method was tested. Using a capacitance probe, or ‘C-Probe’, which delivers hourly soil moisture readings at various depths, the grower is provided with a current picture of field conditions. The study compared both gun and drip irrigation systems on 16 varieties.

The use of the C-Probe proved to be the best method for monitoring soil moisture, allowing seed corn growers to make soil water decisions quickly and accurately.

Click here for more details and photos of the project.

At present, WIN is working on two other seed corn studies with private companies.

Soybean Projects

In 2001, Ontario Weather Network (now Weather Innovations Incorporated) prepared the 2001 Drought Assessment study. Dr. Gary Ablett (Director of Ridgetown College) presented this report to the Ontario Soybean Industry. The report consisted of over forty years of historical precipitation data, drawing a comparison to the enormous impact that the drought of 2001 had on soybean crop yields. Maps were constructed to establish a visual representation of the impact the rainfall had over different periods of the season where soybean development was crucial.

The report was well received by the Ontario Soybean exporters, who used this powerful representation when on trade missions in other countries. The study has been and will continue to be valuable as a comparison tool for future growing seasons.

Irrigation

At present, WIN is collaborating on an irrigation research project with The Brace Center for Water Resources Management at McGill University and AAFC. Sensors connected to real time weather units are used to monitor single points or multi-level depths. New in 2007 is the TriSCAN probe, which measures both soil moisture and salinity, giving it the capability to monitor the movement of water and fertilizers in the soil. Research conducted with this newer technology is helping to develop a far greater understanding of best practices in irrigation and fertilizer application.

Weather Innovations has also been working to develop a number of tools that use evapotranspiration data to help growers with irrigation decision making. Currently, two of these tools are publicly available here:

• Our ETo maps are designed to give producers a daily snapshot of the levels of evapotranspiration in their region.
• The WIN irrigation scheduler, developed in partnership with OMAFRA, allows growers to input crop and field specific factors to obtain water deficit values for their immediate vicinity.

Grain Reports

Weather Innovations Incorporated conducts custom monitoring for a number of Ontario’s grain companies. Some operators use the data collected in their service area when reporting to their international clients. Many use the information to evaluate local growth patterns and keep their producer clientele informed.

Site Specific Forecast

Through the use of detailed weather forecast and the power of data interpolation, WIN produces site specific forecasts for areas as refined as a single field. Currently, these capabilities are being used by WIN wheat-producing customers to predict the accumulation levels of deoxynivalenol toxin, and therefore allow for greater efficiency in spray timing. This season, WIN is excited to be expanding site specific DONcast as a pilot project in France.

West Nile Virus Degree Day Model

Ontario has experienced the human health risk of the West Nile Virus (WNV). Through the co-ordinated efforts of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC), public health units have developed numerous surveillance sites (CO2 traps) where the various species of mosquitoes, the insect vector of this virus, are counted and identified. A relationship between mosquito populations and relative risk of WNV is being developed. One of the parameters in forecasting mosquito development, and thus the relative risk of WNV, is the weather. The MOHLTC staff wish to explore the implications of weather, and more specifically the opportunity to use weather information in an early warning system, in addition to the documentation of mosquito and WNV outbreaks.

Weather Innovations Incorporated (WIN) has installed two weather stations in Essex county, in regions where high mosquito populations have been recorded in past seasons. The stations were placed next to the mosquito surveillance equipment, which will be monitored throughout the summer. Mosquito species and numbers of each species will be recorded. In Chatham-Kent the public health unit will use the weather data from a weather station located close to one of their surveillance locations.

These weather stations record hourly temperature, relative humidity and rain. Temperature values will be analyzed using Baskerville Day Degree model with a base temperature of 18°C. The Mosquito Degree Day model charts the current accumulated degree days and compares these values to the average for the past four years - 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

SPUDcast

SPUDcast is a weather based system, under development by WIN, to assist in the spray decisions of growers for controlling late blight in potatoes. SPUDcast has two distinct forecasting models, A and B, that assist potato producers in managing foliar diseases in potatoes when using fungicides.

Model A: Timed Interval Spraying

This model is used in regions where late blight continues to be a threat yet does not occur every year.

Model A uses a daily disease severity scale from 0 to 7. These values, called SPUD values, rate each day according to the favourability of weather conditions towards the development of disease. Growers are advised to apply an initial spray when 150 SPUD values have accumulated after crop emergence. Subsequent fungicide applications are applied after accumulating an additional 50 SPUD values since the last application.

Model B: Dynamic Dosage

This model is used in regions where late blight is a continuing threat, with local outbreaks occurring every year.

Model B, the Dynamic Dosage model, allows growers to continue with their regular spray intervals of 7-10 days, but allows for better decision making when it comes to choosing the type of fungicide needed and the proper label rate to apply. Most potato fungicide labels and provincial crop protection publications provide a range of chemical rates for early and late blight. Model B gives growers advice about when to use the lower or higher recommended rates of the protectant fungicides available, and when to switch to a late blight targeted fungicide based on weather conditions over the past seven days.

WIN wishes to acknowledge the AAFC, Pesticide Risk Reduction Program, Pest Management Centre for their participation in supporting the recent developments of SPUDcast.

Spraying Conditions Advisory

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) calculates pesticide buffer zone distances, in order to protect sensitive non-target organisms from those pesticide products which have been assessed to be of risk to the environment. These zones can vary in size during the spraying season, depending on weather conditions, pest control products used, and the type of spray equipment and nozzle design. Spray applicators have expressed concern over the changing nature of the buffer zones, and the resultant tendency to leave multiple rows unsprayed at certain times of the year. These unsprayed rows can act as reservoirs for insects and disease, or become weed banks which may create unwelcome risks for the remainder of the crop season.

Weather INnovations Incorporated (WIN), in cooperation with Environment Canada, has been asked to develop an alternative approach, based specifically on weather conditions. This pilot project, will identify times during the day that are more or less favourable for spraying. This would allow the buffer zone to remain constant throughout the season.

The Spraying Conditions Advisory uses decision support criteria, developed by Environment Canada, incorporated in a 3 day weather forecast. Grower co-operators will choose a location closest to their test field, to obtain weather forecast data pertinent to their field operation. The forecast will be provided to them daily, on the web or by fax, as requested. They will also be asked to record the wind speed prior to spraying, using a wind sensor supplied by WIN. Growers and custom operators will be asked to comment on the usefulness of the Spraying Conditions Advisory. This will be done through a telephone and paper survey.