What are the best weather stations for farms in Australia?

Life on the land can be tough. The unpredictability of mother nature only makes it tougher. Weather and environmental conditions have by far the biggest impact on cropping and stock success or failure.

Whether you’re running a hobby farm, growing grapes, operating a large-scale commercial cropping or stock production venture, Instrument Choice believes its essential you have real-time, hyperlocal environmental data and forecasts to make informed decisions. For example:

Spraying? You’ll want to know your specific wind speed and direction.

Bailing? You’ll want to make sure the humidity is right.

Harvesting? Check forecasts, plan the ideal time and reduce crop loss.

Stock levels? Estimate future fodder amounts on the basis of weather forecasts before deciding on desired stocking levels.

Read on for the best farm weather stations available in Australia.

Farm weather stations Australia - What are weather stations and why do you need a weather station on your farm?

Weather stations are devices comprising many sensors that collect a range of data relating to the weather and the surrounding environment. The best Australian farm weather stations are designed for accuracy and reliability in the toughest conditions.

Why a weather station? Imagine you want to remove some weeds. Even the best herbicide sprayer will be useless if operated in the wrong conditions. Irrespective of your requirements, a tough, sophisticated Australian farm weather station capable of with real-time, accurate local forecasts can go a long way to to helping you minimise farm losses and increase yields.

Farm weather stations Australia - Types of stations and connectivity

Australian farm weather stations offer different features to cater for a wide variety of practical needs.

We have included some examples of stations (see below) to illustrate and compare such features as:

• Connectability – How does your data get from your farm weather station to you?
• Transmission Range and Repeatability – What is the range from the weather station to your console and can it be extended?
• Accessory Wireless Sensors – What other sensors are available to expand data collection?
• Power Source – What source of power would best suit your applications – plug- in, battery, wireless or solar?
• Data Frequency – How often do you need updated information from your farm weather station?

Davis Vantage Vue Weather Station

The Davis Vantage Vue is a fantastic Australian farm weather station if you want an entry-level model. It’s strength is simply and accurately transmitting from the station to a console, as well as from a station to your computer or mobile phone via the Weatherlink Live. The Davis Vantage Vue measures current weather conditions and creates accurate local forecasts.

The Davis Vantage Vue reports a range of environmental parameters that include temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, heat index, rainfall, rain rate, as well as wind chill, direction and speed.

The limitation of the Vantage Vue is it has limited options for add-ons. For increased capabilities for remote areas and for a wider range of add-ins have a look at the 3G remote access weather station kit (see below).

Davis 3G Remote Access Weather Station Kit

Designed for use in remote locations, this Australian farm station will measure, record and wirelessly transmit data to your Davis server. You can access data anywhere in the world via a webpage or the Davis App, which you can download for apple and android.

This station measures temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, heat index, rainfall, rain rate, as well as wind chill, direction and speed.

Instrument Choice offers 4 different station configurations stations for this kit. To help you better understand your needs view a selection comparison here.

Add-ons for this kit include:

• Leaf Wetness Sensor (Model Number: IC6420) - Captures the level of surface moisture on foliage. Note: Model Number IC6345 is also required for this sensor.
• Soil Moisture Sensor (Model Number: IC6440)- Calculates the moisture level of the soil by measuring electrical resistance. Note: Model Number IC6345
  is also required for this sensor.

Hobo RX Weather Station Kits

The ultra-rugged and double waterproof HOBO RX3000 range of kits are ideal for on-farm weather and environmental measurements. Cellular data logging capabilities means your farm’s weather station data and alarms will be sent directly to your phone. Access your current and historical data anytime via the HOBOlink site.

Click here to see an excellent example of a HOBO RX3000 in action.

HOBO RX3000 station is supplied in basic, intermediate and advanced kits. View the comparisons of kits here.

By adding the HOBOnet Manager you can create a network of up to 50 additional sensors to wirelessly transmit data from around your farm!

The HOBO monitoring system utilises fast and reliable wireless mesh self-healing technology. Its 450-600 metre range is capable of up to five hops for field-to-field operations.

Find the range of add-on sensors for different farm requirements here.

Farm weather stations Australia - Comparison of features

Figure 4 Farm Weather Stations Australia. Comparison of features.

Conclusion

There's a huge range of weather stations designed for farm applications in Australia. Ranging from relatively simple station-to-console units, all the way up to high-tech weather stations with the capability to communicate with multiple wireless sensors. In this article, we chose to highlight three market leaders that are popular, high-performance weather stations for Australia’s unique farm conditions.

Whatever your farm weather station needs, Instrument Choice and its team of scientists has you covered. We standby our equipment offering 30-day money-back guarantee and an additional 1 year of warranty.

If you need want to know more about farm weather stations Australia or need help selecting the right station for you. Contact one of our Scientists on 1300 737 871 or [email protected]