Farmers to See Improvements in State's Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast
Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 -- 7:59 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -Farmers who utilize the state's Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast program will see some improvements to the system on February 1.The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture announced that a new version of the RRAF will offer users a more detailed and localized look at the threat of runoff before they plan to spread manure. The runoff forecast provides maps showing short-term runoff risk for daily application planning, taking into account factors including soil moisture, weather forecast, crop cover, snow cover, and slope. It is updated three times daily by the National Weather Service. The first version of the tool provides the data by watershed basins. But the upgrades will allow farmers to zoom in using four-kilometer grids, which helps them look at conditions closer to their properties.
In addition to the precipitation forecast, the new version will also provide soil temperatures and saturation, based on computer models. And it will make it easier to find previous day snapshots, a tool that farmers often use to document adherence to their nutrient management plans. The RRAF can be accessed at: manureadvisorysystem.wi.gov
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