February 2023

We Love Our Weather Stations

Years ago, farmers would look skyward, suck their teeth and predict the weather based on the walnut crop or the speed that the wild boar devoured the sunflowers. Today, with climate change having such an adverse effect on global agriculture, Reschio relies on informed scientific criteria as it strives to close its farming circle.

Bigger than some European Principalities, Reschio sits in its own valley with its own microclimate and an altitude difference of 400m. The vagaries of weather and temperature is significant, that in turn influences what can be grown. Early morning mists cling to the valley floor, some crops thrive on it, others violently object.

We love our very own Reschio Weather Station. Established in 2018 recording data every two hours and creating charts with rainfall patterns, winds, soil humidity, maximum and minimum temperatures, solar radiation, air pressure and leaf wetness (crucial for calculating the right time to carry out treatments against various mildews, fungal pathogens typical in vineyards or biological treatments with sulphur and verdigris).

We continue to gather a complete historical climatic profile of Reschio; recording severe frosts and other impactful events on olive trees. Knowing the climatic extremes serves to make more accurate choices, such as deciding where to plant an olive grove or a vineyard, at what time to plant or sow herbaceous crops. We love what the Weather Stations can do for Reschio and our biodynamic agriculture so much that three more Weather Stations are arriving soon