Personally, I trust the wisdom of people like Brothers founder Leon Van Dyke and State Pathelogist Ward Stone over the politicians. The electeds have an agenda, they have to maintain a working relationship with their campaign contributors and voters, they’re more willing to twist things to get reelected and be popular and loved by the community.
Elm Ave Park & Ride – CDTA
Beebe Pond
A Visit with Tim Hammerich
The Future of Agriculture: A Visit with Tim Hammerich
4/8/2020 by Field Work
Web player: https://podplayer.net/?id=101410542
Episode: https://play.podtrac.com/APM_Fieldwork/play.publicradio.org/itunes/o/the_water_main/field_work/2020/04/08/fieldwork_20200408_5_128.mp3
Tim Hammerich is the founder of AgGrad, an agribusiness recruiting company, and the host of the Future of Agriculture podcast. He joins Zach Johnson and Mitchell Hora to talk about the latest innovations in farming, the changing skill sets agriculture demands, and the essential role of data management in sustainable ag. They also discuss the reasons why itโs so hard to recruit young people into ag and why more farmers should think of themselves as CEOs.
March 16, 2020 Evening
Good evening! Mostly clear and 40 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a south breeze at 10 mph. ๐. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Wednesday around 5 am. โ๏ธ A pretty nice evening, especially for mid March. Come April it will only get nicer.
So today I worked from home then on my laptop at Five Rivers. ๐ธI looked at getting internet at home – be it a broadband card or cable service – but I think I can make due in the meantime. I spoke to my parents and they said I could work out there too as long as I don’t get sick. Those options are expensive and I don’t want internet service at home for anything but work. ๐ฆ And it’s a nice place to work, lots of geese and birds to watch and the solar panel worked well at producing power until after four when the clouds pushed in and the sun โ angle declined. Nicer than working in a basement office for sure. Maybe on a cold rainy day not so much. I’m surprised that the Discovery Center at Five Rivers is still open – the Albany Pine Bush center closed on Friday afternoon. ๐ค
After five o’clock I clocked out and went for a walk. ๐ป Right at five, the low voltage disconnect kicked in due to the voltage sag caused by the load from the inverter. But kind of nice not having a commute home. ๐ I went to the grocery store ๐ฌ which a lot of the shelves were pretty bare, and no frozen veggies were left on the store shelves except some weird organic frozen kale stuff. I had no idea real people actually eat stuff like mixed vegetables. ๐ฝ I thought only I bought them because they are affordable nutrition. Fortunately I have a fair amount at home and I can always get more next weekend when the stores restock.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. โณI’m relatively healthy, maybe a bit overweight but I do walk a lot. ๐ถ I might get quite sick when I get COVID-19, like probably everyone else will get eventually, actually sooner than later, but I’ll probably be okay. ๐ฃViruses when they’re uncontained multiply quickly, especially due to the long time between infection and symptoms. It could be and likely will be quite bad for the public at large and that’s why such extreme measures for shutting down society is happening. Fortunately those who recover, will be immune and not have to worry about getting at least this strain again. ๐ฉ
Every time I feel a little sniffle in my nose ๐ or tightness in my throat, I wonder if I have it. Probably not. No fever, no cough. I have allergies to the mold in my apartment. Who knows, I might get enough of it to become immune going forward and maybe not that sick. That would be nice, not having a hard dry cough is good. My older parents and some of the elderly folks I know from the Pine Bush like John Wolcott and elsewhere are a lot more concerning to me, as are some of my sicker friends and colleagues around. ๐ท Honestly, if I loose a lot of people I know dearly around me, I’ll probably pack up and leave Albany and New York for good. ๐ผ The money ๐ต is good where I work but there are bigger and better places to go and expand my horizons beyond New York. ๐
Tonight will have a chance of rain and snow, mainly after 3am. Increasing clouds ๐ง, with a low of 34 degrees at 3am. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 6th. South wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. Too warm. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 26 degrees. The record low of -1 occurred back in 1916. Doesn’t get so cold out now.
Tomorrow will have a chance of light rain, mainly before 4pm. Cloudy ๐ง, with a high of 50 degrees at 4pm. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 28th. South wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 36 degrees. The record high of 75 was set in 1990. 4.1 inches of snow fell back in 1982.โ
A picture perfect weekend on tap. ๐ Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 45. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 41. Typical average high for the weekend is 46 degrees. Do I head out to Schoharie or Madison County for some fresh air and camp overnight? โบ That’s to be decided. Not like I will likely see anyone else in the woods. Going to be fairly seasonable as long as the wind isn’t whipping around. It’s the first week of spring so it will be cold. Friday is going to 72 degrees with thunderstorms. I could clock out early on Friday or at actually leave right at five as I’m working from home I’m guessing for a while – well home and also wifi hot spots like the Town Park and Five Rivers. It’s not like I’m going to run into msnu people up in the woods. I’m guessing I will have to call off the Pine Bush Hike this weekend. ๐ถ
๐น๐ป๐ผOnly 3 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!๐น๐ป๐ผ
Looking ahead, there are 6 weeks until Arbor Day ๐ณ when the sun will be setting at 7:51 pm with dusk at 8:21 pm. On that day in 2019, we had rain showers, partly cloudy and temperatures between 50 and 40 degrees. Yucky cold and wet day last year. Typically, the high temperature is 63 degrees. We hit a record high of 91 back in 1962.
March 15, 2020 Morning
Good morning! Happy Ides of March โ! Three weeks to Palm Sunday ๐ด. Mostly sunny and 33 degrees at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. There is a north breeze at 8 mph. ๐. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 8 pm. โ๏ธ
Out for a walk this morning in the Pine Bush ๐ถ and hope to meet some people later in the day. Really pretty morning, so much blue sky. ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒMaybe later go to Thacher Park or maybe just Bennett Hill depending on the weather.
Today will be sunny ๐, with a high of 45 degrees at 4pm. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 17th. North wind around 8 mph. A year ago, we had rain in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 72 degrees. The record high of 72 was set in 2019. 10.4 inches of snow fell back in 1916.โ
Solar noon ๐ is at 1:05 pm with sun having an altitude of 45.4ยฐ from the due south horizon (-25.3ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 5.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐ starts at 6:25 pm with the sun in the west (262ยฐ). ๐ธ The sunset is in the west (268ยฐ) starting at 7:00 pm and lasts for 2 minutes and 54 seconds with dusk around 7:30 pm, which is one minute and 11 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:04 pm. It’s nice having the extra hour in the evening. At sunset, look for clear skies ๐ and temperatures around 37 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 56 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 55 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be mostly clear ๐, with a low of 16 degrees at 6am. 10 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 10th. North wind 5 to 7 mph. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 31 degrees. The record low of 4 occurred back in 1980. I Going to be chilly tonight, gonna have to turn the heat on before bed.
Today in 44 BC, Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Decimus Junius Brutus, and several other Roman senators on the Ides of March. Plus don’t forget that song Vehicle by the Ides of March. Good song for friendly stranger in black sedans. ๐ Nowadays they’d probably be SUVs with big speakers.
I wasn’t so freaked out about the media crap over Coronavirus ๐ท but increasingly I am concerned after hearing about it on the Skeptics Guide to the Universe ๐. The truth is that there ain’t a lot to do besides wash one’s hands ๐ good and pray ๐. Social distancing might help but I’m skeptical – how much time โ will it buy? Is it worth the high economic and social costs? I guess only time will tell. The whole situation is both abursd and kind of frightening. ๐พ
๐น๐ป๐ผOnly 4 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!๐น๐ป๐ผ
As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Palm Sunday ๐ด when the sun will be setting at 7:26 pm with dusk at 7:55 pm. On that day in 2019, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 42 and 25 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 54 degrees. We hit a record high of 82 back in 1928.
March 12, 2020 Morning
Good morning! Happy Thursday. Mostly cloudy and 34 degrees at the Elm Ave Park & Ride – CDTA. โ Calm wind. Without a breeze doesn’t feel really cold. I haven’t bothered to turn my heat back on again. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Saturday around 11 pm. โ๏ธ
Today will be mostly cloudy ๐ฅ, with a high of 50 degrees at 5pm. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 28th. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 38 degrees. The record high of 69 was set in 2012. 30.4 inches of snow fell back in 1888.โ
Solar noon ๐ is at 1:06 pm with sun having an altitude of 44.3ยฐ from the due south horizon (-26.5ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 6.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. That said, the your not going to see much of a shadow today. The golden hour ๐ starts at 6:22 pm with the sun in the west (260ยฐ). ๐ธ The sunset is in the west (267ยฐ) starting at 6:56 pm and lasts for 2 minutes and 55 seconds with dusk around 7:26 pm, which is one minute and 11 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:00 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies ๐ and temperatures around 48 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 47 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 54 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have showers likely, mainly after 2am. Mostly cloudy ๐ง, with a low of 40 degrees at 6am. 16 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 22nd. Southeast wind 9 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 21 degrees. The record low of -6 occurred back in 1885.
Today in 1933, was the first of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chats. ๐ป Now we just have the president’s tweet storms at five am to run the news ๐ฐ narrative of the day. Although nobody seems to care about the presidents thoughts ๐ญ while he’s on the toilet ๐ฝ today, it’s all about Coronavirus. ๐พ
A picture perfect weekend on tap. ๐ Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 47. West wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 43. Typical average high for the weekend is 43 degrees. That wind might make it a bit chilly especially after the fun goes down. We’ll see but there is still a lot of spring time left
๐น๐ป๐ผOne week remains until the first day of calendar spring!๐น๐ป๐ผ
One month ๐ from now will be Easter ๐ฐ when the sun will be setting at 7:34 pm with dusk at 8:03 pm.
March 7, 2020 Morning
Good morning! Happy Saturday. Finally the weekend! Three weeks to Average High is 50 ๐ธ. Partly sunny and 30 degrees at the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. There is a north-northwest breeze at 14 mph. ๐. The current wind chill is 19. Nice morning but cold to start out the day with that wind. But I’m hoping for a warm up tomorrow that will last for a while. Things will start to thaw out at around 10 am. ๐ก๏ธ
Last night I woke up with a cramp in my leg. ๐ชI was real painful then but it went away. But I ended up not getting a real early start but I made it Five Rivers by nine. ๐ฆNot a lot of wildlife out on this rather chilly morning.
Today will be sunny ๐, with a high of 41 degrees at 3pm. Typical for today. North wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light snow by afternoon. The high last year was 26 degrees. The record high of 62 was set in 1974. 10.3 inches of snow fell back in 1967.โ
Solar noon ๐ is at 12:07 pm with sun having an altitude of 42.4ยฐ from the due south horizon (-28.5ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 6.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐ starts at 5:16 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (258ยฐ). ๐ธ The sunset is in the west (264ยฐ) starting at 5:50 pm and lasts for 2 minutes and 55 seconds with dusk around 6:21 pm, which is one minute and 12 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ At dusk you’ll see the Full ๐ Moon in the east (93ยฐ) at an altitude of 30ยฐ from the horizon, 228,874 miles away. ๐ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:54 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies ๐ and temperatures around 39 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 11 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 33 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 53 seconds over yesterday.
Today’s agenda is pretty standard. ๐ถ I’ll probably head home at noon ๐ go to Schodack Island in the afternoon, visit Aldis and wash my truck. ๐ฟ Also want to start unpacking and organizing my camping gear. โบ I doubt I’ll get out camping next week but I want to be ready when the weather comes. Also want to drop off the recycling paper ๐ at the park and ride. ๐ ฟ Soon I’ll need to take the cans and bottles to the transfer station. โป And maybe get rid of some other junk. Although a lot of it is scrap metal.
Tonight will be partly cloudy ๐ค, with a low of 21 degrees at 4am. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 3rd. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 7 degrees. The record low of -2 occurred back in 1989.
With the forecast for this week and shutting off the heat at my apartment. โจ Except for tonight the mercury is going to be well above freezing and with lots of sun to heat the building with radiation. โ It might be warm enough on Monday and Tuesday to open the windows for the day. Might be a bit chilly tomorrow morning but so be it.
Back in 1967, Bloody Sunday: a group of 600 civil rights marchers is brutally attacked by state and local police in Selma, Alabama. ๐ฎ Things have changed a lot in America since then but too much remains the same.
๐น๐ป๐ผOnly 12 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!๐น๐ป๐ผ
As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Average High is 50 ๐ธ when the sun will be setting at 7:17 pm with dusk at 7:45 pm (Daylight Savings Time). On that day in 2019, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 55 and 33 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 50 degrees. We hit a record high of 85 back in 1945.