03/21/06 Spring has sprung!

Spring has sprung. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line on Agriculture. Officially spring began yesterday at 10:26am Pacific Standard Time. So today is the first full day of spring and as reporter Lacy Gray tells us, it is more than just a moment of time. Translated literally, equinox means "equal night." Because the sun is positioned above the equator, day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the equinoxes. A second equinox occurs each year marking the beginning of autumn. Modern astronomy aside, people have recognized the vernal equinox for thousands of years. There is no shortage of rituals and traditions surrounding the coming of spring. Many early peoples celebrated for the basic reason that their food supplies would soon be restored. Keep in mind as you celebrate the beginning of spring, in the southern hemisphere autumn just began. And while there is no truth to the old wives tale of being able to stand an egg on end during the spring equinox there is one sure thing. Plants of all kinds will begin to pop out of the ground. Farmers will begin their annual work of cultivating the soil to produce the food crops that will feed the world. Home owners will tune up the lawn mowers and lovingly coax beautiful flowers from the ground. Did I mention that weeds are a plant too? What can we expect this spring? Let me go to my trusty Farmer's Almanac for the forecast and see. For most of the spring we should see temperatures a bit cooler than normal and normal precipitation except along the coast where it may be a bit wetter than usual. So why is it called spring? Up until 1752 in both England and America the New Year was celebrated on March 25th. In other words, the New Year sprang up at the same time as the leaves and crops. In 1752 Parliament officially change the new year to January 1st. The term "spring of the year" was used to describe the new year. We've just shortened it to spring! Another event to add to your spring celebrations is Ag Day. Ag Day is about recognizing - and celebrating - the contribution of agriculture in our everyday lives and is a part of Ag Week. Ag Day is sponsored by the Agriculture Council of America. So welcome to spring! That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.