Agrology, the leading Predictive Agricultural company, unveiled a new Extreme Weather Alert feature that applies machine learning (ML) to ground truth data collected by Agrology sensors and public weather data. Agrology now offers a cost-effective system for farmers to plan for and mitigate the threats posed by changing weather patterns, smoke taint, irrigation, and climate change.
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Agrology’s new Extreme Weather Alert feature addresses the unique conditions of each field, where temperatures can fluctuate from block to block, acre to acre. Today, many growers rely on local weather data or a single weather station positioned in one location across thirty to hundreds of acres. In reality, especially for specialty crops, the land is nuanced — topography, row orientation and much more can impact the air temperature of a field or vineyard. A single-point weather station simply doesn’t provide enough detail to help growers target their actual problem areas and get ahead of issues with the most efficient use of resources possible.
“As climate change increases the frequency of wildfires, droughts and heatwaves, farmers need tools that are easy to access, cost effective and allow them to take action. We built Agrology for that very reason,” said Tyler Locke, CTO at Agrology. “Through an easy to use mobile app interface, Agrology now includes a predictive weather model that gives growers advance notice, via push notifications, so they can take action and mitigate risks on weather, smoke, irrigation and more.”
Agrology’s solution relies on installing smaller nodes directly in the row at a higher density, which enables the system to better identify temperature differentials. Agrology begins by tracking the standard temperature differentials in each zone and overtime build predictions, giving farmers 3-7 days of advance notice when microclimates could change. The Agrology app sends farmers notifications on their mobile devices, pinpointing the exact locations at risk and allowing farmers to take action ahead of time