This year has brought its fair share of turbulent weather—but not all storms are happening here on Earth.
Up in space, geomagnetic storms have been on the rise. These storms that create what many may know as the Northern Lights can cause large negative impacts on farmers. The storms that are caused by bursts of solar energy disrupting Earth’s magnetic field, can interfere with GPS systems. They may also impact satellite communications, and other critical tools farmers rely on every day.
Farming Issues From Space Weather
Shawn Dahl, Service Coordinator at the Space Weather Prediction Center, is working to raise awareness about this threat. Dahl says one geomagnetic storm last May was responsible for a $500 million loss in the U.S. corn industry alone.
“Last year I learned that farmers of all levels were using GPS so much more than I thought, and it became apparent to me that storms last year were greatly impacting the farming industry,” says Dahl. “Come to find out what was supposed to be accurate to less than an inch was off by over 12 feet.”
As more farmers adopt GPS-guided equipment and data-driven decision-making, they become increasingly vulnerable to disruptions from space weather. That’s why Dahl and his team are focused on improving storm forecasting and working closely with weather broadcasters to get the word out early.
“Many states had the problem with GPS being affected in their farm equipment,” explains Dahl. “This led to some companies needing to release statements to let farmers know that space weather is causing the malfunctions.”
What’s Being Done
Dahl says that currently they are working on being able to predict these storms like meteorologists do here on earth. The end goal is to be able to have the predictions then work with broadcasters to let the public know so they can mitigate losses due to malfunctions.
As technology becomes more woven into agriculture, it turns out looking at space is more important than ever.
