View from the Cab: Light at the end?
There is a little light at the end of this tunnel we call winter. I think.
After brutally cold temperatures and some of the white stuff during the first several weeks of 2018, things are hopefully starting to turn around on the weather front. Last week’s warm-up felt pretty nice even though it brought some fog and sogginess with it. That furry little rodent was probably right – winter is not quite ready to give up.
Last year at this time, I recall spotting a tractor and field cultivator working ground in a Livingston County field as I made my way up to Flanagan to cover an FFA event. I couldn’t help but stop and fulfill my news reporter instinct of taking a picture and publishing it. Fast forward a year, and there are no tractors in sight.
We all know that living in Illinois means the weather can change in an instant. You may recall last April when temperatures warmed nicely the first few weeks of the month and the soil was fit for planting. Then, during the last few days, the thermometer plummeted and we were dumped on with a cold rain. That rain didn’t end up helping some of the corn out there.
Let’s hope for a normal spring this year but no one really knows what normal means anymore. Who knows – this could be like the mid-1990s when we got six inches of snow in early April. If this is the case, that little prognosticating rodent will really laugh at us.
I had fun covering last weekend’s Pontiac Township High School FFA auction. It is always amazing to see all of the community support for these events. The auditorium was loaded with donated auction items with the proceeds used for the program. I was able to take my broadcast work outside the school in 2017 because of unseasonably warm weather. This wasn’t the case last weekend, but it was still a good time.
Look for the Central Illinois Farm Network booth at this Saturday’s Prairie Central FFA Farm and Home Show at the Upper Elementary School in Forrest. I will be doing some live radio updates on WGCY 106.3 FM starting at 10 a.m. and we will also have some Facebook live reports throughout the day on the Central Illinois Farm Network page. Stop by for baked goods from Mother-in-Law Karen and other freebies.
(The View from the Cab blog is powered each week by Petersen Chevy-Buick in Fairbury)
