The Darling Downs Cotton Growers Incorporated(DDCGI), as well a individual growers established a series of 21 weather stations across the region over the period 1996-1998. The weather stations are a means of providing growers with localised weather information to assist in farm management operations. The DDCGI has maintained these over this period and has recently commenced another upgrade on the stations to convert them from analogue to digital. The purpose of this project was to fund further upgrades to the stations. These upgrades have enabled text communications with the growers rather than voice in the old analogue system. To date, 11 stations have been upgraded by the DDCGI. The upgrades have had a significant impact on the efficiency for growers accessing weather data in critical times. In addition, and an extension of the usage, the stations have proven invaluable in assisting the growers to meet their legislative responsibilities in relation to chemical use.

The Darling Downs hold an annual grower of the year field day to showcase our local grower of the year and to provide information to growers on a range of topics. This information is improving local practises and knowledge of local weather variability, with access to long term weather history data. In February 2016, 160 persons attended the Annual Darling Downs Grower of the Year Field Day and to provide information to growers on a range of topics.