Summary
The Brant Soil and Crop Improvement Association (BSCIA) applied for funding to receive the Tier One Grant for 2018. We received approval to purchase 12 CoCoRaHS rain gauges.
"CoCoRaHS" stands for Community Collective Rain, Hail and Snow Network. It is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteer of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation across Canada. CoCoRaHS provides training and eduction on how to measure precipitation correctly. Volunteers use the CoCoRaHS website or mobile app to record daily precipitation numbers. This data is then stored on their website and is open for anyone to use. The data collected is used by a wide variety of organizations and individuals such as meteorologists, engineers, teachers, outdoor enthusiasts and farmers. Volunteers are required to use CoCoRaHS rain gauges in order to participate in the program.
BSCIA wanted to obtain these rain gauges and recruit volunteers in order to map daily precipitation around Brant County. In 2018, we had 8 active rain gauges participating around the county. A map of these stations is included in Appendix A. This information was very valuable to farmers as they were able to see how much rain their fields received after a rain event. Information is also available for areas outside of Brant County. 8CoCoRaHS uses the phrase "rain doesn’t fall the same on all" which was evident during many rain events since BSCIA started the CoCoRaHS program in August. The graph and map in Appendix B show a rain event on August 22, 2018. The rain received throughout the county ranged from 0.40 inches in the south to 1.5 inches in the northern part of the County.
At the BSCIA 2019 AGM, our members were informed on what the goals of the CoCoRaHS Project were and how to use the website. The data we collected in 2018 was also presented to the group.
This is an ongoing project that will continue to provide valuable information to the farmers of Brant County. It is a tool that they can used in real time to verify the amount of precipitation certain parts of the County received in order to make decisions about their farming practices. Going forward in 207 9, we are hoping to have a full year’s worth of data to see trends throughout the County. At the BSCIA 2019 AGM, this data will be presented to our members. Data for 2018 can be found in Appendix C of this report.