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Drovers Newsletter published a story this week on the use of prescribed fire to manage grazing land. They note that “when used correctly, fire can improve habitat for a variety of wildlife species, forage for cattle, and conditions for oak regeneration among other things.” But you need to consider a variety of factors carefully well…
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If you work outdoors, you know that you have to be aware of approaching thunderstorms, which can cause injuries no only from hail, strong winds and tornadoes, but also from lightning. You may know the National Weather Service saying “If thunder roars, go indoors” and the rule that you should stay inside for 30 minutes…
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According to the USDA’s Water and Climate Update for April 6, “The number of tornadoes touching down across the U.S. are at a near record pace for 2017. The NWS records starting in 2005 report the number of tornadoes are the second highest as of April 5. 486 tornadoes have touched down thus far, with…
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A recent study published by University of Illinois scientists looked at how farmers plan their field work for different times of year and how their scheduling is likely to change under a warmer, more variable climate. While the study looked specifically at Illinois producers, it shows that thinking about how to manage your farm schedules…
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When someone says to me that the climate is always changing, I inwardly roll my eyes and agree with them that climate has definitely changed over time and is still changing due to natural variability like El Niño (short-term) and orbital variations that cause ice ages (long-term). Climatologists have been studying these changes for a…
Posted in: Climate science -
Ben Potter of AgWeb posted an interesting short story this week on how farmers can improve their operations by using weather sensors in their fields to make better management decisions. In the past, farmers have used available weather data from nearby official stations to help decide when to plant and harvest or if irrigation is…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
People that are skeptical about the warming effect of carbon dioxide often point to the fertilization effect of CO2 on plants, causing them to grow more rapidly. Of course, that is just one factor in the growth of plants–they also need water, nutrients and sunlight to grow. A New York Times article this week describes…