Research Highlights

Mesonet Enhances Weather Data Collection and Use

In this article, you’ll find details on:

• Weather remains the single most influential factor in soybean yield, and farmers need accurate weather data and forecasts as they make management and timing decisions.
• A new mesonet, a network of automated, research-grade research weather stations, will help address gaps in weather observations in Ohio and transform the state’s ag weather network.
• The mesonet, supported in part by the Ohio Soybean Council, will offer immediate and long-term benefits for farmers as they adapt to changing weather patterns.

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By Laura Temple

How often do you check the weather app on your phone? Where does that data come from?

Soybean yields have increased dramatically, thanks to advances in technology and genetics. However, weather still is the single most influential factor in yields. Thus, farmers monitor forecasts constantly as they make management decisions.

That makes the quality of data feeding into those forecasts critical.

“Ohio has areas with data gaps, important information that feeds into the National Weather Service,” says Aaron Wilson, state climatologist of Ohio and weather and climate field specialist with Ohio State University Extension. “That’s a challenge as we see increases in on-ground extreme weather like intense rainfall events and localized flooding.”

He compares the weather data available in Ohio as lacking in observation alongside states like Oklahoma and neighboring Kentucky and Indiana. Those states have robust mesonets.

“A mesonet is a collection of automated weather stations that can help track small-scale weather events,” he explains. “High data quality comes from a dense network with research-grade instruments.”

The term mesonet combines mesoscale and network. In weather terms, mesoscale refers to local events between 1 and 150 miles in size that last between a few minutes and several hours. Such events, like thunderstorms or wind gusts, may not be detected without dense data collection. 

Ohio did not have a mesonet, and Wilson noted that the Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Ag Weather Network had become outdated. Mesonet weather stations can cost roughly $26,000 to install, plus maintenance and staff to manage the network.

When a gift from weatherUSA, LLC, and a college matching grant made the development of a mesonet possible, he reached out to other partners to improve weather monitoring in Ohio. Because of the value of such information to farmers, the Ohio Soybean Council became one of those partners, investing checkoff dollars in the development of Ohio’s new mesonet and making it possible to hire a network manager.

“Thanks to this and other partnerships, the Ohio mesonet will start with 10 research-grade weather stations across the state,” Wilson says. “My goal, before I retire, is to expand to have a station in each of Ohio’s 88 counties.”

Most of these initial weather stations are located on Ohio State’s agricultural research stations. Two weather stations were installed by the end of 2024, and he expects the other eight to be operational in 2025. They will be strategically located to address data gaps in National Weather Service observations, like in northwest Ohio, an area with high soybean production.

At the same time, access to the data is being revamped. By the time all stations are installed, the data collected will be publicly available online to farmers and researchers within the State Climate Office website.

“We hope to also become part of the national mesonet,” he adds. “That would provide additional observations to augment federal partners like the National Weather Service, data to decisionmakers, and an income stream to support network functions.”

Upgrading Ag Weather Data

The new weather stations will use high-quality instruments to monitor temperature, moisture, windspeed and direction, solar radiation, soil moisture, soil temperature and more. Wilson says that instruments can be added for specific research projects as needed.

“These stations provide immediate benefits for farmers,” Wilson says. “While they won’t replace backyard or other weather stations, they serve as calibration for these stations.”

The stations will be designed to capture data that directly applies to soybean production. For example, windspeed data gathered for the National Weather Service is measured 10 meters, or more than 30 feet, above the ground. What’s happening at ground level could be different. The new stations will also measure wind and temperatures closer to the ground, where pesticide applications actually happen. This data will better help farmers and applicators identify inversions and better prevent drift when applying chemicals. 

As Ohio’s mesonet develops, some weather stations may be equipped to measure factors like leaf wetness, which relates to disease development and spread, or solar radiation specific to photosynthesis, which details energy available to a crop. Researchers can use this type of information to improve models predicting disease pressure or create customizable tools for farmers, like a growing degree day calculator.

Wilson believes researchers will be able to use weather data to help farmers adapt to changing weather patterns. Understanding wet springs and planting windows can guide cover crop management. Rainfall and drought patterns can inform soybean breeders as they develop new varieties. Temperature, moisture and wind tendencies can help identify conditions that could allow pest and disease pressure to migrate from other regions.

In addition to working with the Ohio Soybean Council, the development of a mesonet in Ohio allows Wilson to be part of a regional United Soybean Board project funded by the national soy checkoff.

“Ohio will be part of a regional effort out of Purdue University, where we are looking at tools for applying weather data to soybean production that work across the Midwest,” he explains. “There is great future potential from these stations to help farmers.”

Additional Resources:

• State Climate Office of Ohio
• Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Weather System
• Local Weather Data Supports Management Decisions in Georgia – SRIN article
• Meet the Principal Investigator: Aaron Wilson

Published: Feb 10, 2025