What is a MICROCLIMATE?
A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area.
A special microclimate created by the north-facing slopes have enabled this vineyard to successfully produce high quality wines in the Kawerau Gorge area of Central Otago in New Zealand, well outside the normal growing range for grapes.
The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet (for example a garden bed) or as large as many square miles (for example a sheltered valley).
Microclimates exist, for example, near bodies of water which may cool the local atmosphere.
Other contributory factors to microclimates are the slope of the land, aspect and vegetation cover.
South-facing slopes in the Northern Hemisphere at higher latitudes and north-facing slopes in the Southern Hemisphere at lower latitudes are exposed to more direct sunlight than opposite slopes and are therefore warmer for longer.
What benefit is this information for Farmers?
Knowing your Microclimates can be the difference between profit and losses on your farm. Farmers who have mapped their microclimates and soils have increased their farming profits by at least 20% and in some cases by over 100%. Read in detail about some of their successes here.
For example:
Apple orchardists in the Stanthorpe region of SE Queensland have mapped their microclimates and identified the best varieties of apples for each part of their land. Granny Smith Apples require nearly twice as many chill hours (where air temperatures are below 7°C) to set optimal fruit crops as Pink Lady Apples. Microclimate mapping has identified the right varieties for each part of their orchards.
- Pasture farmers in SW Western Australia have found by microclimate mapping of their properties, that even on gently rolling landscapes there are significantly different microclimates across their properties. By using this information to vary their pasture mixes and grazing systems to suit each microclimate, they have increased their farm profitability by over 100%.
Avocado growers in the Hampton region of Queensland have identified marginal microclimate areas on their properties for avocado production and have invested in wind turbines to ameliorate the microclimates to continue to successfully grow their crops on high quality basaltic soils on the ridgeline of the Main Divide.
- Peony flower growers in Southland, New Zealand have used microclimate mapping to identify the optimal areas to grow export quality blooms and obtain over $100,000 per hectare in returns for this sought after flower crop.
How do I get started to map microclimates on my farm?
The first step is to: TALK TO US.
Topoclimate Australia are world leaders in microclimate mapping technologies, they pioneered regional and farm scale microclimate mapping , firstly in New Zealand but then also in many Australian communities.
* We can advise you on how to measure and map your own microclimates.
* We can provide Hire Loggers and advice on how to install and manage these.
* We can assist you to analyse your data and we can produce the Microclimate Maps that show you where different microclimates are found on your farm.
* We can also advise you on how to profitably use this information to improve your farming systems.
Contact us by phone or by using the Contact Form on the “Contact Us” page of this site
