AUGUSTA — A five session workshop about using weather-based tools for farmers and service providers will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, at the Augusta Civic Center, Howard Room, 76 Community Drive.

The free sessions, to be held during the Maine Agricultural Trades Show, are sponsored by the Maine Climate and Agriculture Network, which is organized through UMaine.

The sessions will focus on challenges and opportunities that changing weather in Maine present for agriculture, and a variety of tools to help adapt to weather risks. Individual session topics include: Ag-Radar, a tool to inform pest management; efficient irrigation; and a rainfall index insurance program for grassland. Farmers also are invited to share their favorite weather tools during a show-and-tell session.

Pesticide and certified crop adviser credits are available for select sessions.

For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Erin Roche at 949-2490 or erin.roche@maine.edu.