Weather for the second half of April may be warmer with more rain forecast, according to the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center. Its eight- to 14-day outlook for April 24-30, updated April 16, is calling for a 65 percent chance of above normal temperatures and a 25 percent chance of above normal precipitation. Rainfall at the MSU Enviroweather site in Deerfield had recorded 3.19 inches of rain as of April 16, with more rain forecast. This is by far the wettest month of April of the past six years at this location. Minimum soil temperatures were in the low 50s on April 15-16, suitable for planting unless the rain is cold, which will greatly slow down germination. Growing degree day (heat units) are the second highest of the past six years through the first half of April.
Earth Day was Monday, although a celebration will be held at Monroe County Community College on Saturday, April 27. First recognized in 1970, Earth Day serves as a reminder of everyone’s responsibility to safeguard the environment, the land, water, soil and air. Some easy things that everyone can do include: reducing the use of single-use containers, particularly plastic; recycle many items through the Monroe County Health Department; and re-use items. The 2024 Healthy Monroe Recycling events calendar was recently mailed to all residential customers and includes medication take back, electronics recycling, weekly single-stream recycling, household hazardous waste collection, secure document shredding and tire recycling collections. For questions about any of this, contact Dan Rock at 734-240-7909.
Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions fell to their lowest levels in 10 years, according to an Environmental Protection Agency April 11 published report of the inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022. U.S. agriculture represents just under 10 percent of total U.S. emissions when compared to other sectors of the economy, with livestock-related emissions bout three percent.
Additional MDARD pesticide exams will be offered April 30 in Owosso and May 15 in Hillsdale. Interested people can register through MSU Event Management at: events.anr.msu.edu/2024RUPInPersonTesting/. A review session will be held in the morning from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at a cost of $15. Then, participants will be able to take: the Private Core exam, the Commercial Core exam, the Fumigation Standard exam or the Aerial Standard exam. All commercial category exams must be taken through the Metro Institute and MDARD. MCCC is one site to take these computer-based exams.
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Arbor Day is Friday, April 26, and, much like Earth Day, celebrates nature. Started by Julius Sterling Morton, the first Arbor Day occurred on April 10, 1872, in Nebraska City, Neb. A popular Arbor Day tradition is to plant a tree in honor or memory of someone. Trees help clean our air and water, provide shade and have a calming effect. Trees support wildlife and an entire ecosystem, including birds, animals and provide people with powerful medicine, materials for living and agriculture. Trees are a big ally in climate, pulling carbon dioxide from the air, putting the carbon in the soil and releasing oxygen. Trees can have great value to property owners. I have read that one tree, in a Washington, D.C., neighborhood, increased the value of the property by $100,000.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe County agriculture: This is the wettest April in six years