Local weather data helps to save water

Here at the Lake County Ag Center, we host two technicians that work for the University of Florida IFAS on an important project called FAWN, the Florida Automated Weather Network. These skilled technicians maintain many of the 42 weather stations around the state, allowing collection and storage of valuable data on all things weather every 15 minutes.

Ever drive by one of those towers rigged with wires and devices, and wonder “what for, and why?” It is for data that assists farmers (and residents) with wise water-use decisions. For instance, Lake County’s Okahumpka station is located at the USDA Whitmore Foundation Farm. If you follow this link and click “Station Location” on the left, you can zoom down on a Google Map to see the location at: https://fawn.ifas.ufl.edu/station/station.php?id=303.

So, if you are a homeowner with an irrigation system seeing this data, could you possibly conclude that April might be an important month to make sure your lawn’s irrigation system is working properly with good coverage? Of course, because we typically have warm days, increasing day length, and less than 2 inches of rain in the entire month. June data, however, would be a great reminder to make sure that your rain sensor is functioning properly to avoid wasteful and disease-enhancing overwatering. Those rain sensors on your roof eave don’t last forever; an annual check-up is advised, and now is the right time.

To check your rain sensor, we recommend that you trick your system into coming on automatically. Don’t just use the manual “on” as this frequently overrides the sensor. With the sprinklers running, aim a hose at the sensor and douse it. Within a minute or two, your system should shut off. If not, you may need to replace a faulty rain sensor.

FAWN provides access to an app developed for homeowners, My Virtual Lawn. Check it out to see how it can help in your irrigation decision making: https://fawn.ifas.ufl.edu/tools/interactive_irrigation_tool/.

Florida’s population in 2000 was 15,982,824. In 2018, it is estimated at 21,312,211 – an increase of 33 percent in only 18 years. That’s a lot more people sharing the same amount of fresh water. We all have to have fresh water to drink, and our farmers also need water to produce and protect our food.

To assist farmers, FAWN created a smartphone app for the My Florida Farm Weather (MFFW) program, a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) cost share program that helps growers establish basic on-farm weather stations for which FAWN collects and manages data. The app is available for iPhone and Android platforms. It shows an interactive map of the state with the location and current temperature at each station. Users can view the current measurements at a station, graphs of data, decision making tools for using water for freeze protection, and can save stations to a list of Favorites.

Good information leads to good decision making. UF/IFAS is leading the way, and your Extension office is here to help. Check out the FAWN website for yourself at https://fawn.ifas.ufl.edu/. And go to our Extension website at www.lake.ifas.ufl.edu.

Lloyd Singleton is a Florida-friendly landscaping agent at the UF/IFAS Sumter County Extension and the interim director at the Lake County Extension. Email lsingleton@ufl.edu.