Climate and Ag in the news
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There is a new video describing the recent Southern Region Extension Climate Academy available on YouTube. You can view it by clicking here. It provides a brief summary of the September 2014 meeting and an overview of the groups that sponsored it.
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
A rare early morning total lunar eclipse will occur across the Southeast on the morning of October 8. The full moon, which will be in the western sky as the sun rises in the east, will move through the Earth’s shadow, turning a dark red. The peak of the eclipse will be just before 7…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
CNBC posted a story about the upcoming winter and the prospects for rain in California. After three winters with little rainfall, most of the state is in exceptional drought. Farmers and communities have been able to use groundwater to some extent to make up for the missing rainfall, but groundwater levels are now dropping rapidly…
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The pawpaw is a fruit that is native to the Southeast along with other areas of hardiness zones 6a to 8a. It grows on a shrub in shady conditions but can also do well in full sun. Very few people have ever tasted a pawpaw (myself included) because they have a very short shelf life…
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A recent study by MIT scientists shows that the supply of fresh water could increase under global warming. The warmer conditions are expected to speed up the global water cycle, leading to more rainfall in many areas. The scientists estimate that it could increase by 15 percent over the whole globe. However, there are many…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
Last year at this time, an unexpected early season blizzard in South Dakota killed over 40,000 head of cattle. Many ranchers were caught unprepared by the unseasonable weather and had not moved their cattle to their winter pastures yet, which increased the losses. Cattle were also still in summer coats and were soaked by the…
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Meteorologists often hear folks say that they are the only people that get paid whether or not they are right. In reality, weather forecasts have improved immensely over the years and a five-day forecast now is as accurate as the two-day forecasts were a couple of decades ago. This is due to improvements in computers,…