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NEWA, NYS Mesonet partnership expands access, accuracy of forecast tools

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A partnership between the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program (NYSIPM) at Cornell University and the New York State Mesonet (NYSM) at the University at Albany is helping farmers and agricultural producers across the Empire State optimize crop management by reducing pest and weather pressures.

NYSIPM’s Network for Environment and Weather Applications (NEWA), Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC) at Cornell University and NYSM, operated by the University at Albany, recently combined efforts to bring real-time, localized weather data and products to farmers and growers in every county of New York.

NEWA is a weather and pest management decision support system that leverages data from a network of weather stations to deliver accurate and precise short-term, insect pest, plant disease and crop production risk forecasts. Growers use the data to make key decisions on issues like pest control, irrigation management and planting schedules. 

The NYSM is the nation’s most advanced and largest early warning weather detection network, designed to provide meteorological data, products and services that help save lives and property while building a smart weather economy. Each of its standard 127 stations, including 50 located at farms, orchards or vineyards, are equipped with automated sensors that measure weather information in real-time, such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, pressure, precipitation, solar radiation, snow depth and soil information. The sites also have cameras that photograph current conditions.  

The collaboration between the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program, Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University and our colleagues at the University at Albany has effectively doubled the number of weather stations providing information to New York farmers, resulting in more accurate data in more areas of the state.
Dan Olmstead, NYSIPM’s digital outreach and development coordinator

Through the partnership with NYSM, more than 1200 registered NEWA users now have access to hyper-localized information from more than 285 combined weather stations, including those located in previously underserved and economically depressed, rural areas of the state.

Olmstead, who has overseen the NEWA platform for seven years, worked with NYSM Director Junhong (June) Wang, Ph.D., Chris Thorncroft, Ph.D., NYSM executive director, and Art Degaetano, Ph.D., director of the NOAA-funded Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University, to bring the NEWA/NYSM partnership to fruition and said the expanded services allow for more equitable access to high quality weather data among underserved audiences, and will enhance the accuracy of forecasts, enabling better preparation for adverse weather conditions future insect and disease pressure. 

The enhanced system’s capabilities were put to the test during a late-season frost in April 2024, which caused significant damage for grape and apple growers statewide, due to bud and blossom damage. Data from NEWA and NYSM were used to generate summary statistics on the geographic extent and severity of the damage, helping growers and researchers understand the impact of frost events and allowing growers to access visualizations and site-specific data summaries for more-streamlined crop insurance claims.

The frost event was just the tip of the metaphoric iceberg when it comes to NEWA and NYSM ability to help farmers navigate weather changes, however. According to Olmstead, the system is a powerful resource for understanding and responding to climate change.

“The NEWA, NYS Mesonet partnership equitably equips farmers with the tools and data needed to adapt to changing climate conditions by enhancing their ability to withstand extreme weather events,” Olmstead said. “Improved understanding of short-term forecasts of insect pest and plant disease pressure, crop production conditions, and adverse weather events helps farmers develop long-term strategies to mitigate risks.

“I’m really excited to see how the unprecedented NYSM data are directly used for agriculture and climate models and products and directly benefit farmers and all sectors in New York,” Wang added.

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