Rude Awakening for Crops, Livestock as Plains See Temperature Swing

 

It may seem unlikely, but a pair of typhoons in the Western Pacific may have contributed to the blast of cold air that is moving through the central US, according to an article this week in AgFax. According to the article, the typhoons helped build up a strong ridge of high pressure in the western US, which is contributing to the forest fires there. Downstream, in the central US, a large trough of low pressure is associated with the unseasonably cold air, which is bringing snow to the Front Range of the Rockies. Livestock are having a hard time acclimatizing to the rapid change from temperatures near 100 F to below freezing in just two days, and producers are worried about how they will handle the cold weather so early in the season. Fortunately, the cold outbreak is not expected to last long. You can read more here.

Video: predictive weed Management saves on herbicide costs and increases yield potential

Gowan Canada is partnering with Geco Strategic Weed Management to help Canadian growers take a strategic approach to weed control through data-driven prediction and planning.

Geco’s technology uses data and AI to map where weeds have been over the past five years and predict where patches are likely to emerge next season. These insights allow farms and retailers to plan ahead and target actions in the most challenging areas.

“Our technology enables the question: if you could know where your most problematic patches are and where they are spreading to, what could you do differently? That’s what our technology makes possible,” said Greg Stewart, CEO of Geco. “Many of our farms are already using our prescriptions along with Gowan products, so this collaboration is a natural next step.”