Agriculture Weather Information Is Not Effectively Communicated to Users

A questionnaire was developed and sent to agricultural weather service users to review certain aspects of the Agricultural Weather Service Program. Although the response rate from farmers and ranchers was low, the information obtained indicates a need for strengthening the program. The Agricultural Weather Service Program began in 1958 as a result of a Senate resolution requesting the Secretaries of Commerce and Agriculture to cooperate in identifying the agricultural community's weather information needs and jointly develop a program to meet those needs. Each year the National Weather Service (NWS) spends an estimated $3 million on the program, and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) allocates approximately $1 million annually for it.