SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A new automated weather station in Greene County will help southwestern Missouri’s agriculture community make decisions to improve production.

The real-time weather station is a collaboration between University of Missouri Extension and Convoy of Hope, a faith-based organization based in Springfield. The station is on Convoy of Hope property between Springfield and Republic.

The southwest Missouri station is part of the Missouri Mesonet weather station network operated by MU Extension and partners. More than 40 weather stations across the state record weather data, which can be accessed on the Missouri Mesonet website.

“The weather station helps the agricultural community get timely information for planting and spraying,” said John Travlos, co-manager of Missouri Mesonet. “It provides environmental monitoring for agricultural decision-making.”

Convoy of Hope approached MU Extension with hopes of forming a partnership for a weather station to aid its research and teaching efforts. In addition to providing the location, Convoy of Hope also will sponsor ongoing maintenance of the station. The Springfield office of the National Weather Service provided site services to support the new station.

Convoy of Hope connects with partners in agriculture and education to provide training and resources to feed the hungry around the world through sustainable agricultural practices. It also provides domestic and international disaster relief services.

"We are thrilled to contribute to the farming community in the area,” says Jason Streubel, senior director for Convoy of Hope’s Center for Agriculture and Food Security. “This weather station will help our efforts at Convoy to better train farmers throughout the world as well as give us accurate data for our research and demonstration fields here in Springfield. As a scientist, these Mesonet stations are my first source for data and now we have one right in our backyard.”

The Springfield station gives 5-minute updates of temperatures, dewpoint, humidity, wind speed and direction, 2- and 4-inch bare soil temperatures and expected wind speeds and gusts. It also records time of sunrise and sunset.

Since 1992, the Missouri Mesonet has been operated by MU Extension and the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

More information

• Missouri Mesonet – agebb.missouri.edu/weather/stations
• Convoy of Hope – www.convoyofhope.org