Spring may finally be ripe in the Land of Oceana. The spring equinox has passed, the sun is higher in the sky and the hours of daylight are increasing every day. Snow may still happen, but will not be as long-lasting as before. The winter of 2025–26 was more normal than the past several years, according to the older local generations. The maple syrup harvest is winding down and was a very good one. The lack of snow cover has farmers thinking about tree planting, transplanting asparagus crowns and spring tillage work. Legend has it that peas planted after Good Friday will not be successful. Equipment continues to be readied, and some seed has already been delivered by salespeople. A sure sign of spring is load and speed restrictions are now lifted in our area.
Merchandisers are busy setting price tag targets, with many hitting fairly rapidly. Agricultural production is a rapidly moving target and is usually very dynamic. Farmers generally are an optimistic group and believe problems are only a small bump in the highway of life.
Please be aware that a typo occurred in the last report printed in the Feb. 27 edition of the Echo and should have read: "the Michigan apple crop was 24 million bushels" - not four million as reported. (The Echo apologies for this error.)
The arrival of spring brings an increase in vehicle traffic as well as machinery presence on our roads. Please be aware of this slow-moving machinery by being proactive in driving habits so all may return home safely to our families every night. Remember to share the roads!
Wishing all my readers a blessed Easter.
