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Vol. 17, No. 8
Article 9 of 10
May 1, 2007
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Spraying Windows on Horizon Point Prevent Drift By Bill Casady How many times have we said something like "If I just had a crystal ball, I could tell you about tomorrow's weather." It's still true that we never know until after the fact just exactly what the records will say, but scientists have made a lot of progress in weather forecasting since the first almanacs and observations. There are a lot of things you can do in a stiff wind, but spraying crop protection materials is not one of them. Of course there will always be some wind, but selecting a less windy window will maximize effi cacy and help prevent spray drift. The wind report on Horizon Point e-mails is a great tool for watching, learning and planning when to spray. The e-mails are is available as a service to Missourians through http://agebb.missouri.edu/horizonpoint/. Horizon Point provides much more than a simple weather forecast, but for spraying purposes, you may be interested primarily in the wind forecast for the next couple of days. As you study the wind, patterns often emerge, but there are always exceptions. The most common pattern is for winds to calm through the night and to pick up during the advent of daily heating, decreasing again into the early evening hours. Weather systems with dramatic frontal boundaries change all of the rules, but that's where Horizon Point e-mails help to frame up your spraying plans. One day might bring a fairly constant or even gusty strong wind, but the next day may provide a couple of nice windows of relative calm. The three-hour Horizon Point wind forecast can help identify those windows of opportunity so that the sprayer is ready when the wind subsides. For more information and to sign up for the free e-mails, visit the Horizon Point website or for specific questions about how to get started call 573- 884-6311 or e-mail HorizonPoint@missouri.edu.
Bill Casady |
