Monthly Agro-Meteorology Bulletin PDF Print E-mail

 

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NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE

 

MONTHLY AGROMETEOROLOGICAL BULLETIN

 

Produced: CLIMATE SECTION

Volume 2 Issue 2                                                                                                               March, 2013

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The National Meteorological Service of Belize, Climate Section is pleased to announce that it has produced it second Agro-meteorological Bulletin for the dissemination of agro-meteorological products. We welcome feedback and questions from all, especially from farmers and the wider agricultural community on this and other products, as we strive to provide meteorological and climate-based products and services to the Belizean public through systematic and accurate monitoring and data collection, reliable data analyses and timely dissemination of user-friendly information on regular and emergency events and processes. This is undertaken in order to contribute to the safety and well-being of the people of Belize and the sustainable development of the nation. Belize is Now Exporting Cattle to Mexico.

 

Weather & Climate Summary for Belize (January and February 2013).

 

Rainfall collected from agro-meteorological stations across the country for the month of January and February, showed that most of the stations in January, received rainfall above their normal, whilst in the month of February most stations received rainfall below their normal.

 

The main rainfall producers in these two months were related to moist north-easterly airflow, frontal passages and upper level troughs.

 

Assessment of the drought conditions over inland areas of the country, showed that, that part of the country which had been experiencing severe meteorological drought conditions since June-July-August(JJA) period had lessened to moderate meteorological drought in the November-December-January period(NDJ. This was due mainly above normal rainfall that was received in the month of January 2013.

 

In the December-January-February (DJF) assessment of the rainfall showed that the moderate drought that were affecting over inland areas of the country have disappeared. The drought conditions have emerged over the south of the country.

 

Note: Drought is simply the deficiency of rainfall.

 

Definitions of the drought terms:

Slight: rainfall (30th percentile to the 20th percentile)

Moderate: rainfall (20th percentile to the 10th percentile)

Serious: rainfall (10th percentile to the 5th percentile

Severe: rainfall (less than the 5th percentile).

 

 

Weather outlook for the month of March

Below Normal rainfall is expected over northern areas of the country and Normal over other areas.

 

Rainfall

The rainfall that is expected over some district stations is as follows.

Northern Areas

Libertad (Corozal) (<37.0mm) or (<1.46inches)

Tower Hill (Orange walk (<27.2mm) or (1.07 inches)

 

Central and Inland Areas

Philip Goldson Airport (Belize) (23.7-60.5 mm) or (0.9-2.4 inches)

Belmopan (Cayo) (18.7-62.7 mm) or (0.74-2.47 inches)

Central Farm (Cayo) (26.7-53.1 mm) or (1.1-2.1 inches)

Spanish Look out (Cayo) (17.6-59.8 mm) or (0.7-2.4 inches)

 

Southern Areas

Middlesex (Stann Creek) (44.9-77.4 mm) or (0.8-3.1 inches)

Pomona (Stann Creek Valley) (36.7-67.3 mm) or (1.4-2.6 inches)

Melinda (Stann Creek Valley) (30.4-55.5 mm) or (1.2-2.2 inches)

Savannah (South Stann Creek) (28.3-61.3 mm) or (1.11-2.41 inches)

Big Falls South (Punta Gorda) (44.7-84.2 mm) or (1.75-3.31 inches)

Punta Gorda Agri. (Punta Gorda) (51.6-89.5 mm) or (2.0-3.5inches)

 

 

Temperatures

Above normal temperature can be expected over Belize and her coastal waters for March 2013.

 

Probabilistically, there is a

40% chance of above normal temperature

35% chance of near normal temperature

25% chance of below normal temperature

 

 

Northern Areas

 

40% chance of above normal temperature (above 24.7°C)

 

Central and Inland Areas

40% chance of above normal temperature (above 25.9°C)

 

Southern Areas

40% chance of above normal temperature (above 25.1°C)

 

Seasonal precipitation forecast for the March thru May 2013(MAM)

 

There is higher chance for above Normal rainfall to occur over the entire country during MAM season. With the expected above normal rainfall conditions during the MAM season, also with ENSO Neutral conditions which usually indicate a normal rainfall pattern for Belize, drought conditions will not like to enhanced over much of the country except for Inland and Northern areas. Thus those areas can expect to see slight to moderate meteorological drought occurring.

 

precipitation outlook mar apr may

Provided: By Caribbean Institute of Meteorology & Hydrology (CIMH)


 

Agricultural Information was provided by the Ministry of Agriculture.

 

PLANTING

Commodity

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Carrots

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lettuce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Potato

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broccoli

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cauliflower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Onion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cabbage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomato

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweetpepper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

minor planting

 

major planting

HARVESTING

Commodity

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Carrots

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lettuce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Potato

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broccoli

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cauliflower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Onion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cabbage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomato

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweetpepper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

minor harvesting

 

major harvesting

Explain the chart

 

Minor harvesting indicates the start of the planting season for these seasonal crops (highlighted in yellow) - crops that are planted during the colder days of the year and are also short day plants. Major planting is when the highest number of acreage is planted.The planting will correlate with the harvesting period.


Cattle Sweep Testing Being Carried Out In Belize

 

 cattlesweep

 

On Monday, February 25th, for the first time in many years, Belize began the legal exportation of cattle into Mexico. As many as 44 cattle were trucked into the northern country to officially mark the beginning of Belize's formal trade of cattle into Mexico. According to the Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, Jose Alpuche, Belize has been certified as being a country that Mexico can import cattle from.

This certification came about when; the Ministry of Agriculture last year began a Cattle Sweep program in Belize. This pilot project started in the Blue Creek area in the Orange District. The sweep entails testing cattle for Brucellosis and Tuberculosis as well as tagging and placing the tested and tagged animals in a registry. This sweep is necessary if Belize were to be able to legally export cattle to Mexico. Due to international pressures in animal health after outbreaks of diseases in cattle such as Madcow and Foot & Mouth diseases, the exportation of cattle from Belize became hindered and it was only through the sweep that the Blue Creek herd could have been certified for export to Mexico. The Blue Creek herd, which has now been certified, consists of some 18 thousand heads. Through the sweep, animals are traced from their birth to the point of expiration and records are kept on each of the animals.

While the Blue Creek herd is now being exported to Mexico, the technicians continue their cattle sweeping in the Corozal and Orange Walk Districts.

 

 Next Bulletin will be issued in the Month April 2013.