March 4, 2019
Radar systems which have improved production in Western Australia’s wheatbelt should be rolled out across all agricultural areas, according to the Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF).
On Monday, the QFF said in recent years the West Australian and NSW governments had invested in Doppler radar infrastructure to capture locally specific weather and climate data to aid farm decision-making.
The radar system had improved weather forecasting accuracy by about 5 per cent.
In the wheatbelt, better forecasting had led to reductions in downgraded wheat, lower crop and sheep losses, and reduced chemical application and spray drift.
These changes had added an estimated extra $3.4 million a year to wheatbelt production.
“Agricultural production in Queensland is subject to volatile weather and climatic conditions, so it’s not a matter of if but when farmers will be cursing the weather,” QFF president Stuart Armitage said.
“The latest events serve to reiterate the need for improved weather infrastructure across the State.
“Much of Queensland’s prime agricultural areas do not have radar or weather stations.”
The QFF believes the State Government needs to erect Doppler radar weather stations across agricultural areas – particularly in regions with limited coverage – to improve the granularity of available data.
“With Queensland the most disaster impacted state in Australia and climate projections suggesting more frequent extreme weather events, Doppler radar technology could play a role in providing near real-time critical information,” Mr Armitage said.
“Benefits would flow to non-farming activities, and importantly, the new information would help the Bureau to make more accurate predictions – something farmers’ livelihoods often depend upon.”
The QFF has been calling for greater government investment in weather infrastructure for several years.
