• Since we’re in a new month, I thought I would show you the long-term trends in temperature and precipitation for the Southeast. Many of you remember how wet last April was and how difficult it made field work.  It was one of the top five wettest on record for the Southeast.  However, the trend line…

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  • A number of scientists have warned that this could be one of the worst pollen seasons ever for parts of the country.  They attribute this to a number of factors, including the high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which provide a fertilization effect on some plants and warmer temperatures and wet conditions in…

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  • Now that March is almost over, here are the preliminary maps from the High Plains Regional Climate Center showing temperature and precipitation departures from normal.  They show that March for most of the Southeast was warmer and drier than usual.  The warmth allowed quick germination and growth of newly planted corn and brought out many…

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  • AgWeb posted an article this week on the impacts of the continuing California drought on dairies in the region.  Competition for scarce water has led to fallowed crops and higher costs for irrigation.  A shift to permanent crops like nut trees has also removed acreage once used to produce feed for dairy cattle.  Dropping milk prices…

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  • The Waste to Worth conference begins today in Seattle.  I’m expecting to see a good group of people interacting on a variety of topics related to animal agriculture and waste management.  There will also be a track on livestock and climate at the conference.  I’ll be there all week and hope to share some insights…

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  • As predicted, freezing temperatures made it down to Macon and even farther south this morning.  The map below from the Georgia Automated Weather Network at 7:30 am shows a broad area of cold temperatures covering most of the northern half of Georgia as well as some areas to the south.  Fortunately, the southern part of…

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  • Even though it’s too cold to do agriculture in Antarctica, I am still interested in the weather and climate there.  On Friday Dr. Jeff Masters posted a news story in his Weather Underground blog on a possible new record for the highest temperature ever recorded on the continent of Antarctica.  On Tuesday, a record high…

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