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Data Drives Ag in Oklahoma
A third-generation cattle rancher in Osage County, Oklahoma state Sen. Eddie Fields knows just how much the past can help predict the future. That’s the case, of course, when he reflects on the agricultural and ranching legacy passed on by his parents and grandparents. Fields is proud to carry that knowledge over into his lawmaking decisions, which affect agriculture, and also in how he serves organizations such as the Osage County Farm Bureau Board and the Cattlemen’s Association for both the county and state.
But there’s another kind of “legacy” Fields and many other private farmers have adopted on their properties – one that is driven by data, facts and figures gathered by the agriculture industry and other entities for more than 20 years. The Oklahoma Mesonet is a network of statewide environmental monitoring stations designed and implemented by scientists at the University of Oklahoma (OU) and Oklahoma State University (OSU).
In addition to the important intangibles he has adopted through his years of experience as a rancher and businessman, Fields is quick to recognize the importance of the Oklahoma Mesonet.
“Whether it’s in the Panhandle, the Oklahoma City area or the southeastern part of the state, you can look at weather patterns for your area,” says Fields, who has had a Mesonet monitoring station on his property since the program launched in 1994. “With rainfall patterns, for instance, it gives you an idea of when you can expect rainfall and how much you can get. It allows farmers and ranchers to be better prepared in how they do their management practices with their crops and grass.”
A League of Its Own
The need for a Mesonet system in Oklahoma came in response to the Tulsa flood of 1984, according to Dr. Chris Fiebrich, manager of the Oklahoma Mesonet. Funding came together by 1990, and four years later, the Mesonet was operating through a critical collaboration between OU and OSU. It began with 111 stations throughout the state, and today there are 120 stations, at least one for each of Oklahoma’s 77 counties.
“There are other states with automated networks, but Oklahoma is really in a league of its own in regard with our reputation, both nationally and internationally,” Fiebrich says. “We’re looked at as the standard of what mesoscale networks could be.”
With most information updated every five minutes, the Mesonet towers constantly record readings of air temperature, rainfall, wind speed and direction, relative humidity, pressure, solar radiation, and soil temperatures and moisture. Weather forecasters, electric utilities, emergency managers, fire managers and schools use the data across the state.
Near-Instant Updates
Ag producers rely heavily on the system. Fields, for one, uses it to help determine when and where he can do control burns on his property.
“Because we update the information every five minutes, you get a complete picture of what’s going on in the weather across the whole state,” says Al Sutherland, who oversees agricultural data and products for the Mesonet. “So when farmers are doing any kind of spraying and checking for wind shifts, or they’re doing a prescribed fire, they can really see how things might change while they’re doing that job. It gives them a heads-up to work more safely and not put either themselves or their neighbors at risk.”
Part of Sutherland’s job is interacting with farmers and ranchers across the state, introducing Mesonet towers and coordinating workshops and other learning tools.
Many ag producers are using the system, and especially beneficial is its mobile app.
“We put quite a few of the ag products on the mobile app,” Fiebrich says, “so if you’re on your tractor, you can pull your smartphone out and check the conditions.”