Growing degree days since April 1: 159 GDD at Springfield (Average (11 year average 144) (From the Illinois State Water Survey Degree-Day Calculator)
4 inch soil temp: 59.3°F (10 am 4-inch soil temperature under bare soil) (From the Illinois State Water Survey Illinois Climate Network)
What is the impact of this past winter on overwintering insect population? As you may know, insects overwinter in the ground, in cracks and crevasses of trees and other plants and in plant litter in the hedgerows around production fields. If temperatures get cold enough, it can kill some but not all of that population. Insect mortality is most often seen if there is a warm up that causes insects to become active and then a return to cold. Since insect development is directly dependent on temperature, emergence of local, overwintering populations is expected to be delayed. This may not be true for insects such as certain leafhoppers and corn earworm that migrate in from southern states (Harsh weather's impact reviewed, eVGN April 2014). For more information, check out an excellent article at Insect Pest Survival During a Harsh Winter
Researchers Explore Restaurant Managers' Connection to Local Food In a study of the cost and benefits of purchasing local foods in restaurants, managers and chefs indicated that certain actions of local food producers stand out as reasons why they continue to buy local foods. Researchers at Penn State report that restaurant chefs and food purchasing managers who have bought local foods in the past are more likely to continue adding them to menus and store shelves. In a study, managers and chefs indicated the importance of producer response time as a key factor in local purchasing. Clear labeling was another selling point. Food purchasers also indicated that they would not stock local food just because it is local, but that the food needed a unique selling point.
Source: University of Illinois at Urbana