Storm Cloud Rolling Over the Farm, Summer 2026 Traditional refrigeration (walk-in coolers, upright shop units with doors, home refrigerators, etc.) uses an electromechanical process that includes a compressor, condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator with a working fluid (refrigerant) to move heat out of the insulated box/refrigerator. Refrigerant is a fluid that has typically relied on hydroflourocarbons to work its magic- these have negative impacts on earth's ozone layer. Although...

I wanted to take a minute to address the recent foodborne illness outbreak in the US- cyclosporiasis. This particular illness is caused by a parasite that cannot be washed off of foods. Its only source is pretty gross, being that it is human feces. How does this wind up in our food? Well, in a few ways, that mostly revolve around very large industrial-sized farms. Contaminated irrigation or wash water can vector the parasite to our food. Terrible working conditions for mostly immigrant...

Let’s talk a little bit about weather forecasting, modeling, and data. Weather forecasting is not a black and white science. We have incredible technology that has improved forecasting over the last two decades, especially within the last 11 years as computer models have become much more advanced and the use of weather balloons much more prolific. You may have heard of global models like the Euro, GFS (that's the one our own National Weather Service -NWS- puts out), and the GEM (also known...