The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is expanding the Minnesota Ag Weather Network (MAWN) with a new weather station just west of Viking. The station, called Viking 1SW, will deliver localized weather data to farmers in Marshall and Pennington counties—areas that have until now fallen outside the network’s reach.
Another station near Fosston in Polk County is slated to go online later this month, bringing the total number of weather stations operated by MDA and its local partners to 58 across the state.
The Viking site was developed in partnership with Pennington County Ag Services, which helped secure a host location. By filling this coverage gap, the Viking 1SW station advances MAWN’s goal of ensuring farmers statewide have access to reliable data within a 20-mile radius—information that supports more informed decisions about irrigation, crop health, soil management, and water conservation.
“This station will finally give farmers in Northwest Minnesota access to the weather data they’ve been missing,” said Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “It’s about providing tools that help producers protect their land, use water wisely, and adapt quickly to changing conditions.”
MAWN weather stations provide an array of real-time environmental data:
- Rainfall
- Air temperature
- Wind speed and direction
- Dew point temperature
- Soil temperature (to 7.5 feet)
- Soil moisture (to 40 inches)
- Solar radiation
- Snow depth and snow water equivalent
In addition, the network offers tools and modeling resources, including:
- Daily estimated crop water use
- Disease risk forecasts
- Irrigation scheduling recommendations
- Runoff risk predictions
MAWN collaborates with the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) to make weather information freely available to the public. Data from Viking 1SW and other Minnesota stations can be accessed through the NDAWN Inversion App, the North Dakota Ag Weather Network, and the NDAWN Central Minnesota Weather Network. Additional program partners include the University of Minnesota and soil and water conservation districts across the state.
In 2023, the MDA received $3 million from Minnesota’s Clean Water Fund to expand the reach of MAWN. This investment supports the installation of about 40 new weather stations over three years, developed in collaboration with local partners. Given Minnesota’s climatic variability, up to 80 stations may be needed to provide all agricultural regions with accurate, localized weather insights.
The MDA this year installed 12 new stations in Southern Minnesota, located near:
- Cologne (Carver County)
- Eyota (Olmsted County)
- Fairfax (Renville County)
- Geneva (Freeborn County)
- Godahl (Brown County)
- Hastings (Dakota County)
- Kenyon (Goodhue County)
- Madison (Lac qui Parle County)
- Murdock (Swift County)
- Pine Island (Dodge County)
- Willmar (Kandiyohi County)
- Windom (Jackson County)
These stations are already collecting data, which is publicly available through the NDAWN platforms.
To view real-time weather data or learn more about the Minnesota Ag Weather Network, visit:
www.mda.state.mn.us/minnesota-ag-weather-network.
Landowners interested in hosting a weather station can complete the Minnesota Ag Weather Station Host application at: www.mda.state.mn.us/weather-station-host.
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Media Contact
Cynthia Moothart, MDA Communications
651-420-2637
Cynthia.Moothart@state.mn.us
