PUBLISHED BY MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS
MAY 2023
CE 1998 SIN
Executive Director Alexandra Froese, Bindi, and Field Supervisor Jessica Riach from the Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program were special guests of MBP at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. See page 3 for information about their visit. (Photo credit: Melissa Atchison)
MFGA’s Aquanty Forecasting Tool Could Help Beef Producers Make Better Decisions The Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association (MFGA) recently launched its Aquanty Project Forecasting Tool for producers in the Assiniboine River Basin and the Pembina Valley Watershed District. “The forecasting tool will give producers both nearterm (7-day) and longer term (32-day) forecasts for soil moisture, ground water and surface water conditions on or near the land that they manage,” says Amanda Taylor, a geological modeller with Aquanty Inc., developers of the tool. “This tool should help them address the risks associated with water resources management under increasingly variable climate and weather conditions. The tool will help provide advance warning of both flood and drought conditions. In addition to the forecasting abilities, the tool will also allow producers to view recent satellite imagery of their land so that they can monitor all areas of their land in near-real time without requiring on site visits.” MFGA is encouraging farmers to try out the Forecasting Tool via its online portal and provide their feedback about it. Producers can create an account at the signup page on the MFGA website at https://waterforecast.mfga.net/signup.
The tool provides forecasts related to streamflow, soil moisture, groundwater levels and recharge, the depth to groundwater (how far it is from the soil surface), as well as surface water depth and exfiltration (the flow of groundwater into surface water features on the land). “One area where the curtain is being lifted is on groundwater,” says Duncan Morrison, Executive Director of MFGA. “Until now, that was something that producers did not have much access to. The forecasting tool gives producers insights into the availability of groundwater, soil moisture and streamflow that are important to their farm management.” As an example of how producers might use the tool, it could help predict future conditions for groundwater levels for producers who are reliant on well water or dugouts for livestock. Producers growing forage crops could use soil moisture forecasts to help time seeding and fertilizer applications to optimize their inputs. The Aquanty Project Forecasting Tool offers producers two different map views. The Forecast Feeds map provides the hydrological forecasts for a selected watershed, and farmers can also click on a specific location on the map to get forecasts for that location or click on the
nearest weather station to also get observations about that location. The Remote Sensing map view provides farmers with more detailed information about a specific area of interest that they can create and save themselves (for example specific fields or areas in a field). This view provides satellite imagery, calculators, and site-specific data. Producers could use this satellite imagery to monitor plant growth on their forage crops and assist in timing rotation of their livestock though different fields. The Forecasting Tool uses credible, up-to-date information sourced from real-time, public data systems run by Manitoba Agriculture. The model recalibrates as the information updates across the entire watershed region. MFGA has been focused on delivering the new tool but is also working on how the tool will be made available for producers and other users going forward. Funding for the Aquanty Forecasting Tool was provided through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) AgriRisk Initiatives Research and Development stream via the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
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BY ANGELA LOVELL