Demonstration of a low-cost and open-source platform for on-farm monitoring and decision support

Weather dictates farm operations including irrigation scheduling, harvesting, and protection from crop damaging events such as frost, heat waves or disease outbreaks. In a changing climate, farmers need real-time and site specific weather data in order to better inform planning and resource allocation. Currently, public regional weather networks provide near real-time data in most locations throughout the continental United States, but these data may not represent local conditions for many locations. Commercial manufacturers provide a wide range of alternative to public weather networks that vary in quality and in usefulness for on-farm monitoring. Low-cost and open-source weather stations are an emerging alternative to public and commercially available weather networks because they are often built from components using open-source do-it-yourself (DIY) platforms and technology. For this project, we developed a Low-Cost and Open Source weather station (LOCOS) using an Arduino-based platform and deployed these systems in two field experiments. Data from four LOCOS in an Idaho vineyard showed that microclimates varied significantly across spatial scales that are relevant to disease management. In a second field experiment, data from multiple LOCOS showed significant differences in evaporative demand between two fields equipped with different center-pivot irrigation systems. The sensors used with the LOCOS showed robust results in calibration. LOCOS were capable of testing rigorous hypotheses about site specific weather phenomena. This information supports efficient and sustainable crop production, and helps minimize consumption of available resources.