Farmers’ Forecast

Have you ever wondered how people back in the good old days planned anything without knowing what the weather was going to do? Weather stations are giving conflicting forecasts for this weekend which shows that even all their high-tech, fancy equipment is confused by this front coming through. While the folks back then didn’t have computers, radars or weather modules to tell them what the weather would be like tomorrow, they did have signals from nature to tell them what was going to happen. With all the snow that RobCo has already seen, here’s a couple snow predictions from the older folks to help you out in the future.

Ring Around the Moon

Ever noticed a ring around the moon?  According to older generations, when you see a ring around the moon, snow will be coming soon.  This one has been true anytime I’ve ever noticed a ring being around the moon in the winter.  The Farmer’s Almanac calls this a lunar halo and it is caused by the light of the moon reflecting off of the ice crystals in the atmosphere around the moon.  A friend on Facebook posted a picture on Friday night, taken right here in Robertson County of the moon with its “halo” indicating that there will be snow this weekend.  Hopefully you’ve prepared by buying milk, eggs and bread as well as been by the local CO-OP to purchase your ice melt for the sidewalks and driveway!

But Wait, There’s More

Another common snow saying is that if snow lays around for more than 3 days then it is waiting for another snowfall. This one is pretty self-explanatory. If the snow stays for 3 days, then it’s obviously still cold enough for it not to melt and if more precipitation falls then it’s most likely to be snow. Which is a good thing if you have a little milk, sugar and vanilla to make snow cream. Wild Hearts Trading Company, located on 8th Avenue here in Springfield, posted the recipe for “Snow Ice Cream” last week during the second snow of 2022. Which was the perfect time for them to share this recipe because you don’t make snow cream with the first snow.  Don’t use the first snow because it’s said that snow cleans the air. Granddaddy didn’t go by a recipe…he sent us kids out to get a big pan of snow, put milk in until it was the right consistency then mixed in some sugar and vanilla. What a wonderful memory from long, long ago.

Whether you’re playing in the snow, building snowmen, making snow angels or sledding, please remember that farmers don’t get snow days.  They’ll be out checking livestock, feeding hay and grain, making sure everything has access to unfrozen water. They may have issues with trucks or tractors starting. They may get cold while out checking everything on the farm but it’s just another day on the farm and it has to be done. Look for the signs of snow and check out these theories and remember where to find that ice melt when the next snow is coming down!