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The Border Watch : February 13th 2015
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neWS tIPS newsroom@tbw.com.au on the land 27 WEATHER HOLDS KEY: Robin Schaefer says a leap in seasonal and localised forecasting is key to unlocking better decision-making tools for farmers. KEATLEY COWGIRL FORGOES LOCAL RODEO IN PURSUIT OF DREAM This last weekend was definitely different for our local cowgirl Tammy Woodall, making a last Weather holds farm key RESEARCH by a South Australian Nuffield scholar claims weather forecasting has become increasingly accurate in recent years, but farmers should not take predictions literally. In his paper Weather Forecasting and Business Management Systems, Robin Schaefer, who shares a collaborative farming venture at Loxton, said five and seven day forecasts in Australia had increased in accuracy by 45pc over the past 30 years, while the three day forecast had increased in accuracy by 27pc to become 97pc accurate. Mr Schaefer said forecasting technology and methods had come a long way with the advent of more sophisticated technology like satellite forecasting, but caution was needed with the impact of oversubscribing to forecast data. “Given the uncertain nature of weather forecasts, the riskiest thing anyone could do is to take a weather forecast literally,” Mr Schaefer said. “In the media we see stories of farmers who followed a forecast of a drought literally, made a dramatic business decision, such as deciding not to sow any crop at all or totally destocking, which proved to be the correct decision and resulted in a dramatic escape from its effects, but for every one of these stories there are many more where a dramatic decision proved to be incorrect, resulting in huge losses.” Mr Schaefer said farmers would increase their reliance on weather forecasts as they became more accurate. “However, this could increase the risk to the business, especially when the forecast will inevitably be wrong,” Mr Schaefer said. The paper looks at an array of decision-making tools available to farmers in Australia and beyond and forecasting technology and research overseas. Mr Schaefer said there was plenty of progress to make on weather forecasting, both in longer-term, seasonal forecasting, as well as more localised predictions via micrometeorology to help farmers make the most of decisions informed by weather. “The weather is an essential part of planning daily operations and in the longer term can mean the difference between a profitable and unprofitable year,” Mr Schaefer said. “As a farmer, I am also a weather forecaster, I refer to as much information as possible, from as many sources as I have available, then use this information to influence my decision making. “Research needs to be tar- MIDFIELD DIRECT Committed to the farming community Convenient for you Consistent pricing and service Scholar reveals progress to be made in forecast details geted at seasonal forecasting and investigations for this report have confirmed there is plenty of scope to continue to improve seasonal forecasting.” Mr Schaefer said to achieve this, researchers needed to think outside the square to be bold and innovative. “On the opposite end of the scale to seasonal forecasting is the emerging science of micro meteorology,” Mr Schaefer said. “Currently any micrometeorology data that is collected is not normally available to farmers. “As technology improves, with the advent of on-farm instrumentation and communications systems and satellite-derived, instantly retrievable information, it will become possible to map microclimate variations. “This will be at timescales that are useful for input into businesses.” TOP PRICES Bulls Angus $2291 Angus $1986 Angus $1974 Angus $1926 Hereford $1910 Hereford $1912 Friesian $1874 Friesian $1814 Friesian $1745 Lambs $208 Lambs $197 Lambs $191 ONE CALL, GET IT ALL Save time and money with our market direct service for sheep, lamb and cattle. Simply call us on 0429 179 243 or contact one of our fi eld offi cers. Proud supporter of: Powercor Business of the Year Since 1975 The Border Watch, Friday, February 13, 2015 - 27 2013 Cows Beef $1513 Beef $1507 Beef $1496 Beef $1452 Beef $1429 Friesian $1470 Friesian $1401 Friesian $1397 Friesian $1394 Sheep $132 Sheep $127 Sheep $123 minute decision to ride at Peterborough Rodeo in South Australia, instead of her home town Rodeo in Dartmoor, Victoria. Missing the Dartmoor Rodeo may have been a shock to Tammy’s system, but Peterborough’s Rodeo offered the chance to accrue points towards the Australian Professional Rodeo Association. It sure was worth the trip after Tammy and her horse, Jimmie Dee picked up third place, winning an extra bit of money to put towards her standings and goal of reaching the NFR for the 2014/15 season, which will be held in October at Warwick Queensland. We will next see Tammy compete at Ballarat Rodeo this weekend, followed by Penola Rodeo on the 28th of February. In the meantime, Tammy is moving to Adelaide to start her studies at University in a Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Medical Imaging). This new chapter will be extremely busy for Tammy, studying through the week and travelling home on weekends to continue competing in the sport she loves. We wish Tammy the best of luck on her big move and the upcoming rodeos! This weeks Video Tutorial: HOW TO prepare your house for sale PLUS market reports and Dartmoor Rodeo highlights video For more stories scan this QR code or visit out Facebook Page /RayWhiteKeatley GO SAFELY WEAR SEAT BEL EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY All livestock will require to be attended with the current NVD version, C0413 for cattle and S0413 for sheep/lamb to conform to the National Standards for movement of livestock. 660128 KEATLEY WEEKLY 6638005 ROAD SAFETY DEPENDS ON YOU
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