Minnesota State Wire

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced the addition of three new weather stations to the Minnesota Ag Weather Network (MAWN), enhancing data coverage for agricultural producers in the state.

The new stations are located in Southern Minnesota, with two in Rock County near Leota and Luverne, and a third between Elkton and Adams in Mower County. The expansion aims to provide real-time, localized environmental data within a 20-mile radius of all agricultural land in Minnesota.

“These stations give farmers access to the weather data they’ve been missing,” said Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “It’s about providing tools that help producers protect their land, use water wisely, and adapt quickly to changing conditions.”

Each station measures rainfall, air temperature, wind speed and direction, dew point temperature, soil temperature up to 7.5 feet deep, soil moisture up to 40 inches deep, solar radiation, snow depth, and snow water equivalent. The network also offers science-based decision tools such as daily estimated crop water use, disease risk forecasts, irrigation scheduling recommendations, and runoff risk predictions.

MAWN is connected to the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN), making its data and agronomic tools available to the public through the NDAWN Inversion App and online platforms.

In 2023, the MDA received $3 million from the state’s Clean Water Fund to expand the MAWN network. The funding is supporting the installation of about 40 new weather stations over three years, with nearly 20 added this year. The expansion is carried out in partnership with weather station hosts, local soil and water conservation districts, the University of Minnesota, and NDAWN.

The MDA has identified key areas for new stations but depends on landowners willing to host them. Interested landowners can apply on the MDA’s website. More information about the Minnesota Ag Weather Network and real-time data can be found at the MDA’s official site.