The winter season for ag climatologists begins Dec. 1 and runs through Feb. 28. That's a different calendar than nature uses, but it's how they look at various seasons. Your challenge is to predict how much snow will fall at three very different locations in Indiana during this three-month period that ag climatologists classify as winter.
If you do it accurately, you could win seed from Beck's Hybrids. A long-time sponsor of a winter seed giveaway with Indiana Prairie Farmer, this is the second year in a row that readers have been asked to guess snow totals.
Here's what to do:
First, add up how much snow you believe will fall from December 1 through Feb. 28 at these three locations: South Bend, Indianapolis and Evansville
Second, submit your total. You can either enter on the official entry form that will be in the December and January issues of Indiana Prairie Farmer, or you can enter online. If you enter online, include your guess at each site, and also include your name, address, phone number, cell phone number, email address, and amount of each crop that you raise in a typical year. Include acres for corn, soybeans, wheat and hay. We reserve the right not to accept email entries which do not include all of this information. Send your email entries to: tbechman@farmprogress.com.
Entries must be postmarked by Jan. 15, 2013. That's halfway through the winter, so you will get a chance to see how the season is progressing if you wish to wait. One entry per family please. Employees of Beck's Hybrids and their families are not eligible.
Beck's will award six bags of seed corn for 2013 planting to first place, six bags of soybean seed to second place, and six bags of wheat seed or equivalent to third place.
The decision of the judges will be final. Use historical records, wooly worms or even The Farmer's Almanac. Just come up with your totals and enter for a chance to be the best snow prognosticator for 2012-13 in Indiana. If you win that title, you also get free seed.