Fewer Rainy Days and Earlier Springs Linked in Northern Climates

Mar 30, 2022

By Pam Knox

A recent article from the National Science Foundation describes the result of a study on when new leaves appear on plants in spring by scientists at Ohio State University and published in Nature Climate Change. The study shows that while warmer temperatures are the primary cause of earlier leaf occurrence, the number of days of rain (not the amount of precipitation) also makes a difference, and as the number of rainy days per year has been decreasing in many areas north of 30 degrees latitude, this is also affecting how early the leaves come out. The researchers calculated that a decline in rainfall frequency will lead to spring arriving an additional one to two days earlier each decade through 2100. What would cause this? The researchers think that fewer rainy days means fewer cloudy days, too, and that more sunlight reaching the plants in spring stimulates them to produce leaves earlier in the year.

Source : uga.edu

Video: Season 7, Episode 2: From Data to Decisions in Swine Production

Data can provide a clear picture of trends and performance across a swine farm, but its greatest value comes from putting those insights into action. In this episode, Dr. Edison Magalhães, assistant professor in the department of animal science at Iowa State University, discusses how producers can leverage data to make informed decisions that improve herd performance from birth to market. He highlights the challenges of siloed data across different teams, the impact those gaps can have on performance and the importance of integrating data to gain a more complete picture of herd health and productivity. He also explains the PROSPER (Predictors of Swine Performance) tool, which combines data from multiple sources to help producers better understand herd performance.