State Expands Ag Weather Network with New Station Near Viking

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.

The 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 collaborates with the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) to make weather information publicly available. Data from Viking 1SW and other stations can be accessed through the NDAWN Inversion app, the North Dakota Ag Weather Network and NDAWN Central Minnesota Weather Network. The Viking station is expected to come online later this year.

In 2023, MDA received $3 million from Minnesota’s Clean Water Fund, which supports efforts to safeguard the state’s water resources. This investment is fueling the addition of about 40 new weather stations across agricultural regions over the next three years, developed in collaboration with local partners.

The MDA installed 12 stations in Southern Minnesota this year, including: 

• Cologne (Carver County)
• Eyota (Olmsted County)
• Fairfax (Renville County)
• Hastings (Dakota County)
• Geneva (Freeborn County)
• Godahl (Brown County)
• Kenyon (Goodhue County)
• Madison (Lac qui Parle County)
• Murdock (Swift County)
• Pine Island (Dodge County)
• Willmar (Kandiyohi County)
• Windom (Jackson County)

Information collected from these new stations is online and available for the public to view through the NDAWN websites.

For more information on MAWN and to explore available weather data, visit: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/minnesota-ag-weather-network.

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Media Contact
Cynthia Moothart, MDA Communications
651-420-2637
Cynthia.Moothart@state.mn.us