Farmers would be the first to agree that "you don’t need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows," as the old Bob Dylan song goes.

But for specific data such as humidity, rainfall totals, soil temperature and whether or not the conditions are ripe for a pest infestation or a disease outbreak, local farmers can rely on data from four Colorado State University weather stations located in Montezuma and Dolores counties.

"The data can be used in a lot of different ways; farmers like it because it gives specifics like frost-free days and precipitation which is essential for knowing when to water or plant," said Mark McMillan, a weather station technician and research associate with CSU.

McMillan passed through the area Thursday, stopping at each station to ensure the units are ready for the agriculture season and to make program adjustments.

The solar-powered, electronic stations, positioned in Cortez, Towaoc, Dove Creek and Yellow Jacket, record weather conditions that affect towards local crop management, irrigation, and planting schedules. The fully-automated machines record current data on humidity, soil temperature, wind direction and speed, high and low temperatures, solar radiation and precipitation levels. They then automatically deliver that data, via a cell phone, to a server which downloads it daily onto the World Wide Web. The address for local conditions and weather history is http://ulysses.atmos.colostate.edu/~coag/ or at www.csuag.com.

The weather station program, in conjunction with Colorado Climate Center, began in 1989 and now boasts 40 electronic stations across the state. The focus is on providing farmers with reliable weather data that can be easily accessed via the Internet. The data is then modified for each region’s specific needs, growing seasons and climate.

"My interest is in monitoring environmental conditions that are favorable for disease to break out," McMillan said. "Farmers want this information and they need it to be available."

The technology is not always fool-proof, though, said alfalfa grower Larry Deremo, of Dove Creek.

"The information is posted on the courthouse here everyday and people will look at it, but sometimes it becomes the joke of the day if you know what I mean," Deremo said.