Winter webinar series for agricultural producers to begin Jan. 23

ORONO — The University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program are offering a three-part webinar series focused on using weather-based tools to help agricultural producers adapt to climate change.

Each webinar will be 45 minutes in length, followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session and participant discussion. The series is open to agricultural service providers and producers of all crops and scales, as well as anyone involved in agriculture, according to a news release from Peyton Ginakes with the extension.

The first webinar, “Using Weather Data and Tools available through the Maine Climate Office,” is set for 11 a.m.-noon Tuesday, Jan. 23. Presented by Sean Birkel, assistant professor at the University of Maine with a joint appointment to Cooperative Extension and the Climate Change Institute, participants can learn how to navigate the Maine Climate Office website and utilize temperature, precipitation, drought and climate models for crop production decision making.

The second webinar, “Using the Network for Environment and Weather Applications (NEWA) for crop modeling and integrated pest management,” will be held from 1-2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22. Presented by Lily Calderwood, UMaine Extension wild blueberry specialist and assistant professor of horticulture, and Dan Olmstead from Cornell University, attendees can learn how to navigate NEWA and explore the tools it offers for real-time weather data summaries, crop production tools and integrated pest management forecasts.

The third webinar, “Using AgRadar to manage apples in a changing climate,” will be held from 2-3 p.m. Wednesday, March 27. Led by Sean Birkel and Glen Koehler, UMaine Extension associate scientist, participants can learn how AgRadar uses weather forecasts and data to inform apple production decision-making for service providers and growers.

The webinars are free; registration is required. For more information and to register, visit the program webpage at extension.umaine.edu.

To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Ginakes at 207-933-2100, ext. 107, or peyton.ginakes@maine.edu.