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After last winter’s bitter cold, I am hoping for a mild fall and an easy, down-on-the-farm winter. According to the hot off the press <a href=”http://www.farmersalmanac.com/” target=”_blank”>
<font face=”Times New Roman”>2011 Farmers’ Almanac,</font>
</a> this upcoming winter season will display a split personality nationwide. The eastern third of the country will experience colder-than-normal winter temperatures, while the western states will see milder temperatures. The snowiest area will be across parts of the Northern and Central Plains, to the Ohio River and Great Lakes region. Despite that, the 194-year-old Farmers’ Almanac says that the coming winter season should be a “kinder, gentler” one, on the whole. I scrutinized the 2011 Farmers’ Almanac’s weather maps and noticed that my farm is located right where the “cold and very snowy” region meets the “Mild with average precipitation” region. I sure hope that the 2011 Farmers’ Almanac’s winter weather prediction doesn’t indicate that I should expect ice storms and untimely tornados.</p>
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<p>”Because much of New England got off relatively easily last year, this year’s weather may feel like cold slap in the face in comparison,” says Farmers’ Almanac editor, Peter Geiger, <span class=”SpellE”>Philom</span>
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<p>The 2011 Farmers’ Almanac is also packed also invaluable advice on how to live a simpler, smarter, more sustainable lifestyle, including how to save money while remodeling, interpret expiration dates, fight household pests, attract backyard birds, choose foods that heal and boost the immune system, and more. In addition, <span class=”GramE”>this years</span> Farmers’ Almanac includes the publication’s popular calendar of Best Days to quit smoking, find a new job and more, as well as the exclusive Gardening by the Moon Calendar, and valuable outdoor advice, including average frost and peak foliage dates, and tips for safe hunting and fishing.</p>
<p class=”notelevel1″>Weather is the most talked about subject on earth, which makes the 2011 Farmers’ Almanac weather predictions a hot topic. Fans of the Almanac say its famous long-range forecast is accurate between 80 and 85 percent of the time. The predictions are based on mathematical and astronomical formula that dates back to 1818, and each new edition contains 16 months of weather forecasts for the contiguous United States.</p>
<p class=”notelevel1″>The <a href=”http://store.farmersalmanac.com/staging/farmers-almanac/c-4851.htm” target=”_blank”>
<font face=”Times New Roman”>2011 Farmers’ Almanac retails for $5.99</font>
</a> in stores everywhere and online. I keep copies of the Farmers’ Almanac handy … both at work and on the farm. I consult its pages for everything from when to plant my potatoes to the best days to go fishing. If you don’t yet have your copy of the 2011 Farmers’ Almanac, you quite simply aren’t prepared. Get your copy <a href=”http://store.farmersalmanac.com/staging/farmers-almanac/c-4851.htm” target=”_blank”>
<font face=”Times New Roman”>here</font>
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<a href=”http://www.grit.com/biographies/oscar-h-will” target=_self>Hank Will</a>
<em> raises hair sheep, heritage cattle and many varieties of open-pollinated corn with his wife, Karen, on their rural Osage County, Kansas farm. His home life is a perfect complement to his professional life as editor in chief at GRIT and Capper’s Farmer magazines. Connect with him on </em>
<a title=Google+ href=”https://plus.google.com/u/0/117459637128204205101/posts” target=_blank rel=author>Google+</a>.</p>