This week Dr. Scott Irwin of the University of Illinois Extension Service has been running commentary on Twitter regarding the delays in getting the U.S. corn and soybean crops planted. Tweets are brief by nature, and so are the following observations:
He started talking about this spring planting season turning into a “Black Swan” event for corn sometime in the last two weeks. His data shows this season of planting delays is already historic and, based on the latest weather forecast, destined to become even more so. The previous statement means there are no analog years for comparison. His research suggests that analysts should start to consider the possibility that there could be 5 million or even 10 million corn acres i...
A pika (/ˈpaɪkə, ˈpiːkə/ PY-kə, PEE-kə[3][4]) is a small, mountain-dwelling mammal native to Asia and North America. With short limbs, a very round body, an even coat of fur, and no external tail, they resemble their close relative the rabbit, but with short, rounded ears.[5] The large-eared pi...
Lobelia (/loʊˈbiːliə, lə-/[4][5][6]) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Campanulaceae comprising 415 species,[7] with a subcosmopolitan distribution primarily in tropical to warm temperate regions of the world, a few species extending into cooler temperate regions.[8] They are known g...
The Olympic marmot (Marmota olympus) is a rodent in the squirrel family, Sciuridae. It occurs only in the U.S. state of Washington, at the middle elevations of the Olympic Peninsula. The closest relatives of this species are the hoary marmot and the Vancouver Island marmot. In 2009, it was decl...
