10/17/95
Bob Lowry (lowrygr@mail.auburn.edu)
AU AGRICULTURAL WEATHER CENTER MAY SURVIVE BUDGET CUTS
AUBURN -- The Auburn University-based Southeast Agricultural Weather Service Center, which had been in danger of being eliminated in federal budget cuts, may survive after all, says chief meteorologist Rodger Getz.
The U.S. Commerce Department earlier this year had proposed closing the Auburn weather center, which has provided special weather data for farmers in Alabama, Florida and Georgia since 1962.
The decision would have eliminated funding for agricultural weather centers at Auburn; Stoneville, Miss.; College Station, Texas; and West Lafayette, Ind., at a projected savings of $1.67 million.
The Senate, however, has restored $700,000 in funding to the Commerce Department to operate and maintain agricultural weather centers at AU and Mississippi State University's Delta Branch Experiment Station at Stoneville, Miss.
Sen. Howell Heflin, D-Ala., who secured the restoration of funds through an amendment he sponsored, said the weather centers provide crucial weather information to farmers, ranchers and foresters.
"Unlike the vast majority of people in this nation who cope with everyday weather in the context of a golf game or a picnic, weather is the single most important external element in the production equation," said Heflin.
Although the funding issue must still be resolved in a joint House-Senate conference committee, supporters of the weather center say they expect the funding to remain in the legislation and to be signed into law by President Clinton within a few months.
"Thanks to the many calls, letters, and faxes to our agency head and the Alabama congressional delegation by AU administrators, faculty, staff, and students, it appears that the funding for the Ag Weather Center will be restored for another year," says Getz, who has been at AU for more than 20 years. "My staff and I want to thank all people in the AU family that voiced support for our service."
In addition to Getz, the funding cut at AU would have affected three other agricultural meteorologists, a computer assistant and an electronics technician.
The services provided by the Auburn center, which are distributed by a special weather wire, radio and the Internet, include: agricultural weather forecast, special freeze forecasts, agricultural weather advisory, special advisories for extreme weather events, agricultural weather observations, monthly agricultural weather outlooks, weekly crop and weather summaries, monthly crop and weather summaries, agricultural weather guidance, five-day maximum/minimum temperature projections, national and international agricultural weather highlights.
oct95:AU-weather
CONTACT: Getz, 334/844-4514 (rgetz@awis.auburn.edu)