STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

Duane A. Lienemann,
UNL Extension Educator,
Webster County

June 15, 2012 Edition
What a difference one week can make in Nebraska! As I write this commentary we have just had a nice rain that followed a little larger rain event a couple of evenings before. To say that our land was parched and needing a drink would probably be an understatement. This rain was sorely needed across the whole area, and from what I understand, this did cover much of the area – and with rain from as little as 15 hundreds all the way to over 5 inches. I know that those that got the big rains would rather have had it spread out over a couple of weeks, but it is good to see the ponds and terrace depressions full of water. I know that several farmers had to fix and replace fences in the lowlands and that some hay that was put down may have paid the price, but I have not heard any of them that have been in the coffee shops complain at all. In fact one farmer bragged that he had put out the bait for the rain. You can almost hear the collective sigh of relief from farmers and ranchers across South Central Nebraska this following this much needed rain.
We have been experiencing the driest and warmest spring on record since, I believe, 1895. The impacts are real and I described them last week. We got a little reprieve finally and I know a lot of people like to call something like this a "Million Dollar Rain." It is a term some farmers use to describe the rain that comes right as the various crops are needing it most or as many suggest - the rain that could make or break them for the season. It seems these kinds of rains come just when you’d almost given up hope and thought your crops were toast and your livelihood for the year in jeopardy. That is why it is so important, especially to dryland farmers. We have not been alone in worrying about the drought conditions. These dry conditions have spread widely through the Midwest and beyond, and this rain will bring untold benefits to the crops as they ramp up their growth rate. In reality this moisture is probably a “multi-million dollar rain” event.
For you that have a computer and internet connection and would like to keep up with the moisture events I suggest going to this site:  http://nerain.dnr.ne.gov/nerain/ and if you want to monitor where we are with the drought conditions across the Midwest you can go to: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ While this rain is a Godsend and it does seem like one of those “Million Dollar” rains, we don’t want to lose sight of the fact that this is still the middle of June. The official start of summer isn’t until later this week (June 20). We have a very long ways to go when it comes to development of our crops and the health and vitality of our grazing and haying lands. Since the official start of “Summer 2012” is this week, I think it would be good to take a look this week at how that is determined.
Anyone who lives, or has lived, in Nebraska is fully aware that we are creatures of the seasons. Some say those seasons are hot and cold, others say snow and dust, some say growing and dormant, but the reality is we have four complete seasons. Now, how are those determined? Well it seems that the four seasons we experience are determined by changing sunlight (not heat!)—which is determined by how our planet orbits the Sun and the tilt of its axis. The one we are rapidly approaching is the first day of summer, the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year. The sun reaches its most northern point in the sky at local noon on that day. After this date, the days start getting shorter, so if you have a lot of work to get done, then logically that would be the day to do it, as you start losing daylight after Wednesday, June 20.
The Summer Solstice: Each year, the timing of the solstice depends on when the Sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator. This occurs annually on June 20 or June 21 in North America, depending on your time zone. The word solstice is from the Latin solstitium, from sol (sun) and stitium (to stop), reflecting the fact that the Sun appears to stop at this time (and again at the winter solstice). In temperate regions, we notice that the Sun is higher in the sky throughout the day, and its rays strike Earth at a more direct angle, causing the efficient warming we call summer. The Sun is directly overhead at its most northern point at "high-noon" on the summer solstice, creating more sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere on this day than any other. In the winter, just the opposite occurs: The Sun is at its southernmost point and is low in the sky. Its rays hit the Northern Hemisphere at an oblique angle, creating the feeble winter sunlight.
You would think that June 20, being the longest day of the year, would also the hottest day of the year? But I think most of you know it is not, but why? I of course needed to know, so found out that it is because earth’s atmosphere, land, and oceans absorb part of the incoming energy from the Sun and store it, releasing it back as heat at various rates. Water is slower to heat (or cool) than air or land. At the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere receives the most energy (highest intensity) from the Sun due to the angle of sunlight and day length. However, the land and oceans are still relatively cool, due to spring’s temperatures, so the maximum heating effect on air temperature is not felt just yet. Eventually, the land and, especially, oceans will release stored heat from the summer solstice back into the atmosphere. This usually results in the year’s hottest temperatures appearing in late July, August, or later, depending on latitude and other factors. This effect is called seasonal temperature lag. So of course you can expect the hottest days of the year to be right smack on top of the traditional time for our annual area county fairs. I know over the years it does seem so.
I am hoping that it will be cool during the Webster County Fair which is scheduled for July 21-28. I know, that is a shameless plug for our county fair, but I am proud of our fair and those that are involved with it…see you there!
The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: www.webster.unl.edu/home