AgClimate View


The AgClimate View tool provides historical climate and crop yield data for the Corn Belt. Used in tandem with other decision resources, this product can help you find long-term correlations between climate trends and yields and help put your recent growing cycles into historical context.

  • Select a Station

  • Climate Data

  • Climate Average

  • Yield Trend

  • Comparison

  • Custom Chart

To get started, select a station near you. Do this by clicking on the map or using the search feature.
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This tab allows you to plot maximum, minimum & average temperatures and precipitation data for a specified date range.
This tab allows you to plot 30-year (1981-2010*) average monthly maximum, minimum & average temperatures and precipitation.
Comparison Year:
This tab allows you to view annual county yields for a selected time period and the corresponding linear yield trend.
This tab allows you to plot countywide annual yield data with up to two climate variables.
Step 1: Select one of the crops
Step 2: Select up to two monthly climate variables
Step 3: Select start & end month range to plot
Step 4: Select start & end year range to plot
This tab allows you to create a customized chart using all climate data available for your selected station. Click the box to select a climate variables.
Climate Data are retrieved from http://rcc-acis.unl.edu
Yield Data are retrieved from http://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/

Contributors

Chad Hart, Larry Biehl, Roger Elmore, Chris Panza, Brian Raub, Dennis Todey, Melissa Widhalm

Background

AgClimate View is your source for historical climate and crop yield data for the U.S. Corn Belt. This product let's you plot local monthly temperature and precipitation variation back to 1980, track county crop yields and trends, and consider crop yields in the context of monthly temperature, precipitation and growing degree day (GDD50) data.

Tutorials

ACV Guide

AgClimate ViewDST User Guide

Data Sources

Climate Data

Climate data are retrieved from the Applied Climate Information System (ACIS), a quality-controlled historical climate database developed and maintained by the NOAA Regional Climate Centers (RCCs). All climate stations in ACIS identified as currently collecting data (end date = 999) are included in AgClimate ViewDST regardless of the station's length of record or number of missing data points. We have found that some stations in ACIS contain no data although they are labeled as currently collecting data. If this type of station is selected, AgClimate View will automatically redirect you to another nearby station

Growing Degree Day (GDD) data displayed in AgClimate View are calculated using a base temperature of 50F and no upper limit. For corn-specific GDD (86/50), please visit our Corn GDD product.

Stress Degree Day (SDD) data displayed in AgClimate View are calculated using a 90F threshold.

Climate Averages and Variation

The Monthly Climate Averages displayed on the Climate Average tab are pulled directly from the ACIS database. The ACIS database uses the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) 1981-2010 averages. NCDC applies a number of quality adjustments to account for missing data, station moves, equipment changes, and other factors that can influence the climate record. Therefore, the climate averages might not be exactly equal to the 30-year average as calculated from the observed daily data in ACIS.

NCDC has extensive documentation on the 1981-2010 climate averages and how they were calculated at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/land-based-station-data/land-based-datasets/climate-normals/1981-2010-normals-data

Climate Variations displayed on the Climate Average tab are based on the maximum and minimum monthly average values in the ACIS database. The period of record can go back as far as 1981. The actual period of observations available for an individual station are shown in the chart legend.

Crop Yields and Trends

Historical (1980 - last year) county-level corn and soybean yield data are provided by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Quick Stats Database. Yield trends are calculated as a straight linear trend of county yield data from 1980-2010).

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Custom Chart work?

under development