Cloud Seeding is Costing the Panhandle Rain

    On January 17, 2012, Tom and Andrew Bivins presented deciseive data showing that over the last twelve years, Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District's seeding has cost farmers and ranchers from an inch to four and a half inches of rain per year on the average.   

Those in attendance uniformly spoke out at the meeting asking that Cloud Seeding stop.  County Commissioners from Donley, Armstrong and Potter Counties all asked that the seeding stop.  The board split four to four on a motion to cease seeding and seeding will continue.

The presentation:

Average rainfall shows no benefit from seeding (actually a loss)
 Data from Weather Warehouse-NOAA

•Amarillo average last 12 seeded years—19.38
•Amarillo average previous 12—20.07
                                                                        loss of .69" per year
•Pampa average last 12 seeded years—22.03
•Pampa Average previous 12 yrs—22.29
                                                                        loss of .26" per year
•Shamrock Average last 12 seeded years—23.92
•Shamrock Avg previous 12 yrs—27.05
                                                                        loss of 3.12" per year
•Clarendon Avg last 11 seeded years (no 2011)—23.02
•Clarendon Avg previous 11 yrs—24.22
                                                                        loss of .8" per year

While this data shows no benefit and a loss from seeding, this is not the most damning information.

The most damning information--Losses of 16% during the growing season!

Loss of large rainfall months in seeded years.

This is not data on what we think clouds would have produced, but actual government rainfall figures

Actual rainfall is down during seeded years!

Large rainfall events are down during seeded years!

Percentage of rainfall during the growing season is down during seeded years!

Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District hired as an expert evaluator Dr. Ruiz-Columbie, a Cuba educated man who blamed farming and ranching for causing the drought and said that livestock threatened land degradation and loss of biodiversity.   The cattle industry works closely with environmental groups and there is ample evidence that ranchers are the best stewards of the land and are protecting against loss of biodiversity.   Why PGCD would hire or trust this radical anti agriculture fanatic is beyond comprehension.

There is ample information to stop the project.   Please follow the following links:

 

Past errors and damages of Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District

Scientific paper on weather modification.

see research by Billy Tiller.

see further statements by ranchers

results of meeting on cloud seeding

Is Cloud Seeding Harmful?

Expert editorial on scientific validity of experiments.

2008 Paper on harm of cloud seeding

Agriculture Defense Coalition on Weather Modification

 

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