Wimmera farmers push for their own weather radar

FARMERS in northwest Victoria are missing out on a crucial farm management tool with a lack of weather radar coverage.By

Wimmera farmers in radar bid

FARMERS in northwest Victoria are missing out on a crucial farm management tool with a lack of weather radar coverage.

A black spot in coverage by Bureau of Meteorology radars in Mildura and Mt Gambier means many farmers in the northwest are missing out on valuable real-time rainfall observations, which is costing them money.

Wimmera Development Association executive director Jo Bourke said being able to see where the rainfall was happening at a particular point in time was crucial to such decisions as the timing of spraying and applying fertilisers.

Farmers could lose a large amount of money if they spray on the basis of a dry forecast only to discover it does rain and wash the sprays away.

Conversely applying some fertilisers such as urea depended on follow-up rain. A radar would be a big help in backing up short-term forecasts, Ms Bourke said.

The WDA is lobbying the Victorian Government for a share of the proceeds from the sale of the Port of Melbourne to set up a radar, possibly at Warracknabeal at a cost of about $9 million.

WDA wants to hear from farmers about how unforecast weather has affected their activities and the associated costs as they build a business case.

Information may be provided by completing the proforma online at www.wda.org.au

Yarriambiack Shire Council is also lobbying for an automatic weather station at Warracknabeal for better local weather observations.