RESIDENTS from Myrtleford and surrounds attended the launch of Jane's Weather stations at TAFCO, despite Jane being unable to attend the ceremony due to the flu.
Before he began his speech, Josh Cross from Jane’s Weather apologised for Jane's absence.
“On behalf of Jane Bunn and Jane’s Weather, we’re grateful and excited to announce our recent partnership with TAFCO, to bring hyper-local weather forecasting to the region,” he said.
“Now that we’ve got these seven weather stations integrated, what that means for you the community is you now have the best weather guidance available from janesweather.com or the app.
“You will discover a special range of AG forecast, like spray conditions, frost risks, irrigation-specific forecasting, accurate and detailed wind forecasting, along with multiple model rain forecasts, designed by Jane and her team to ensure you know exactly what’s going on at your unique location.
“Jane’s Weather uses machine learning and AI to bring in all of the best weather guidance, under the one umbrella.”
Toni O'Sullivan, who was raised on a local tobacco farm, was glad to hear attendees asking important questions at the stalls.
"Weather is everything to a farmer,” she said.
“Growing up, I don't think there was a day that went by that didn't involve a conversation about the weather.
“What they're bringing in with this program is amazing.”
TAFCO’s general manager, Rupert Shaw explained Crop X approached them with an offer to add a forecasting feature to their established weather stations.
“For farmers and other people to make decisions, knowing what’s coming is equally as important as knowing what the temperature and conditions are right now," he said.
“We will have forecast based on weather stations in specific areas like Dederang or Porepunkah and there’ll be a new one in Bright, thanks to Bendigo Bank.
“Our staff here is a fantastic team and Kerry Murphy’s had a great idea with the community membership.
“We have 46 shareholder members and we’ve just passed 900 community members this week, which is phenomenal and a reflection of the fantastic job our staff does.”
Chairman, Lachlan Campbell said thanks to the local community, TAFCO are able to provide the knowledge, the high-quality level of produce and ensure generational wealth continues to grow in the Ovens Valley.
“Our journey together has been one of resilience, innovation and community spirit: our cooperative has not only survived, but thrived, thanks to the collective strength of our members," he said.
“We’ve embraced new technologies and adopted best practices and can generally support new products with the TAFCO team to support your productivity, whilst reducing the environmental footprint.
“Looking to the future: we will continue to invest in education and training so our members are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the ever-evolving agricultural landscape.
“Each of the local micro-climates are different, but we hope to roll out that weather station network even further.
“The cooperative is more than just a business; it’s a family bound by the shared visions of your prosperity and sustainability.”