There is no other source and no other database. Simpson said he is trying to rally the users of the service, including research and extension faculty, staff, farmers, agribusinesses, contractors and local governmental agencies, to voice their concerns to senators and representatives. When one considers the relative low cost of ag weather services, the benefits of the program make elimination a poor decision. Congress must realize that this is a fundamental activity which offers little hope for the private sector to take over. The initial investment in required infrastructure would be too great to offer them a reasonable expectation of financial return on investment.
Basic research depends on that data base.
Every crop model we know of is weather-driven. Every field scientist has to depend on the weather and the related weather data base information to generate the field research models and outcomes that yield the meaningful progress we make, whether it's in variety improvements, new herbicides or whatever. In areas of concentrated agriculture, such as in California and Florida, the market might be sufficient for the private sector, but Simpson says markets such as Alabama and Georgia are too small to support private meteorological services. Farmers use the weather information from radio and TV, but Simpson says it does not provide sufficient detail. Weather information is available all the time from the Weather Channel, but nothing is specifically targeted for agriculture.