After almost 100 days, winter will officially end at 12:15 p.m.
By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com
Despite the chilly temperatures some farmers woke up to this morning, spring made its official arrival just after noon.
With winter in the rear-view mirror, farmers are looking ahead to longer days, warmer temperatures and the excitement that comes with planting season.
With those sentiments at top of mind, Farms.com reached out to some Ontario producers to find out what the first day of spring means for their respective farms.
For some horticulture farmers, spring means a busier time.
“Spring here means that we’re starting to dig trees and there’s definitely some more excitement in the air,” Linda Grimo, chair of the Ontario Hazelnut Association and nut and fruit farmer from Niagara-on-the-Lake, told Farms.com today. “We’ve gone right from a quiet winter to jumping right into action.”
Like most producers, Grimo hopes Mother Nature will cooperate this spring.
“We’re wishing that spring goes smoothly and everyone can get their trees in a timely fashion,” she said.
For beef producers, spring can signify new life on the farm, despite temperatures still feeling like mid-January.
“Well it was -22 C this morning, so it still feels like winter a little bit,” Jason Leblond, who operates a 35-head cow-calf operation in Chisholm, Ont., told Farms.com today. “But that being said, we’re weeks away from first calving and we’re all getting very excited. Spring also means input purchases that helps us farm successfully.”
Other producers see the first day of spring as just another day.
“It’s just another day in paradise,” Garnet Snobelen, vice-chair of the Seed Corn Growers of Ontario and producer from Blenheim, Ont., told Farms.com. “We’re just doing the same daily tasks to get ready for planting.”
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