Farm weather station specialist Sencrop has more than doubled its UK station network over the last 12 months as more growers start to see the value of remote weather monitoring via a smartphone.
In its most recent update, the company has now integrated the most popular weather forecasting models from the 22 countries it has a presence in, allowing farmers to pick the forecasting service most suited to their needs.
It allows an in-depth customer survey conducted in November 2002, which revealed how users consulted and compared forecasts from different suppliers. Sencrop’s product team then selected the most relevant models, according to three criteria: geographical coverage, short- or long-term forecasts, and popularity, to develop the new feature which was rolled out at the end of February.
Farmers can access, within the application, forecasting models used by major UK weather data sites such as MetCheck, BBC and Meteoblue, and use the most appropriate one according to their needs and preferences.
In total 10 models have been integrated across the 22 active countries, including six in the UK and Ireland.
Adapting forecasts to agricultural needs
Depending on the situation, Sencrop said that one model will be more relevant than another. A cereal producer may focus on short-term forecasts linked to wind, before applying nitrogen or crop protection treatments, while a potato producer will need longer-term rain forecasts to assess the risk of mildew.
“Since our goal is to help farmers make better decisions based on weather data, and we listen a lot to what they have to tell us, we are continuously improving the Sencrop app,” said Michael Bruniaux, Sencrop co-founder.
“This further development in our forecast dashboard, which allows a farmer to pick the most suitable forecast model in their dashboard, felt like evidence to us. We realised this feature would be even more valuable if they could customise the weather forecast to the one that would most suit their needs.”
By combining these forecasting models with weather data from the connected station on their farms – temperature, wind speed, humidity, rainfall accumulation etc – Sencrop enables farmers to improve precision and optimise operations.
During the high season, farmers check the app several times a day, according to user data gathered by Sencrop, with the weather forecast alone accessed up to five times per day.
More information is available at www.sencrop.com