Accurate weather information — temperature, rainfall, wind speed — can improve farm decisions on crop inputs. IPM forecasts delivered via NEWA, the Network for Environment and Weather App’s, www.newa.cornell.edu, significantly improve plant disease and insect management results. Accuracy depends on instrument calibration and maintenance; as simple as checking a rain gauge and cleaning out debris. Early and late winter are excellent times to send in your weather instrument for calibration.
Have your instrument calibrated about every two years to insure the temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, and other sensors are performing within the manufacturer’s specifications. NEWA uses RainWise instruments. Contact Richie Cohen, Service & Repairs Manager, at 207-801-4036 or richie.cohen@rainwise.com to get your instrument calibrated before spring monitoring of cold temperature takes precedence.
Author: Juliet E. Carroll, Leader, NEWA