Agricultural forecasting concerns itself with predicting weather conditions, especially hail, that can be hazardous to crops, including precipitation (especially hail), extreme hot and cold, and damaging winds. Accurate forecasting in this area is a particular boon to farmers in that meteorologists can help them decide when it is best to harvest or plant, when wind conditions are right to apply pesticides and herbicides, when to set up irrigation systems, or when to turn on wind machines and smudge pots before an oncoming freeze.