The Joint Agricultural Weather Facility's Operational Assessment Program

Abstract

The Joint Agricultural Weather Facility (JAWF), a cooperative effort between the Climate Analysis Center, NMC/NWS/NOAA (National Meteorological Center/National Weather Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the World Agricultural Outlook Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), focuses on weather anomalies and their effects on the crop-yield potential in major international crop areas. The basic mission is to provide an objective procedure for translating the flow of global weather information into timely and accurate assessments of growing-season conditions which ultimately impact on global agricultural production and trade. Daily monitoring of satellite weather images and meteorological data provides the framework for agricultural weather analysis. Daily, weekly, and seasonal summaries are processed and merged with historical weather and crop data for evaluation of the crop-yield potential. Information is disseminated at routine briefings, in written summaries, and through informal discussions.