A GUARANTEE OF SOMETHING GOOD:

2 0 2 1 O L D FA R M E R ’ S A L M A N A C N O W AVA I L A B L E !New edition offers forecast for a mostly warmer winter, DIY garden tricks, a warning about

sea level rise, tips on picking a pet, the definitive guide for avoiding seasonal illnesses, and more!

The 2021 Old Farmer’s Almanac is calling for a warmer-than-normal winter throughout the majority of the U.S., with uncommonly chilly temperatures limited mostly to the western states and Maine.

“Wet” will be a wintertime constant, with rains or average to below-average snowfall throughout most of the country. Significant above-average snowfall is being predicted for Wisconsin and parts of Michigan and Alaska, as well as for the High Plains and northeastern states. Now in its 229th consecu-

tive year, The Old Farmer’s Almanac is, of course, so much more than just the weather. The 2021 edition is particularly timely in help-ing people to live better, stay healthy, and do more with less. Consider …

Small-Space Gardening 101: As people from all walks of life embrace the practicalities of growing their own food, the Almanac shows readers how easy it is to grow practically anything,

almost anywhere. Advice includes the abundance to be had with raised beds, how to succeed at succession planting, the power of growing up, and which containers are best for gardening (hint: anything that holds dirt and has drain holes).

How to Pick a Pet: Who hasn’t had their mood instantly brightened by a puppy or kitten? Taking care of one is a completely different story. As more households add a furry, feathered, or finned friend to the family, the Almanac helps to match the care needs of each kind of pet

F O R I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E

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WEATHER FORECASTSFOR 18 REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES

THE ORIGINAL FARMER’S ALMANAC “USEFUL, WITH A PLEASANT DEGREE OF HUMOR”

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LIKE THE CERTAINTY OF SUNRISES, THE BEAUTY OF STARS AGAINST A CLEAR NIGHT SKY, AND ADORABLE BABY ANIMALS, THE ANNUAL RELEASE OF THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC IS A GUARANTEE OF SOMETHING GOOD. THE 2021 OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC—–WITH ITS 80 PERCENT–ACCURATE WEATHER FORECASTS—–IS NOW AVAILABLE!

These weather maps correspond to the winter and summer predictions in the General Weather Forecast (opposite) and on the regional forecast pages, 206–223.

To learn more about how we make our forecasts, turn to page 202.

SUMMER 2021

WINTER 2020–21

W E AT H E R

Maps: AccuWeather, Inc.96

IT’S IT’S SNOW SNOW TIME!TIME!

NOT SO COLD, NOT SO COLD, NOT TOO WETNOT TOO WET

SHEETS SHEETS OF SLEETOF SLEET

IT’S IT’S SNOW SNOW TIME!TIME!

GORGEOUS!GORGEOUS!

MILD,MILD,WHITE NWHITE N

WET SWET S

COOL, COOL, DRYDRY

SNOW PELTING, SNOW PELTING, THEN MELTINGTHEN MELTING

WET? WET? YOU BET!YOU BET!

WARM, WARM, DRYDRY

SIZZLING, SIZZLING, NOT MUCH DRIZZLINGNOT MUCH DRIZZLING

WARM WARM & DRY& DRY

WARM, WARM, RAINYRAINY

WET? WET? YOU BET!YOU BET!

COOL, WETCOOL, WET

COOLCOOL&&

DRYDRY

THUNDERYTHUNDERY

DRYDRY

NOT NOT SO HOTSO HOT

WARM COAST,WARM COAST,COOL INLAND,COOL INLAND,

SHOWERYSHOWERY

COOLCOOLWETWET

COOLCOOL&&

DRYDRY

COOL, COOL, WETWET

COOL, COOL, WETWET

MORE WET . . .MORE WET . . .

SNOW SNOW DUMPSDUMPS

THAN WHITETHAN WHITE

HOTHOT&&

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to the busy lifestyles of prospective owners.

From Sea to Rising Sea: Since 1880, sea levels have risen 6.5 inches—and nearly half of this has been since 1950. This rise is unevenly distributed, but it’s hap-pening almost everywhere and the problem is ac-celerating. Warming ocean temperatures, increasing population density, and other factors can be tied to the main cause: melt-ing glacial ice. As record-breaking high tempera-tures continue to hit areas like Antartica and Siberia, it’s clear that this problem isn’t going away. What if nothing is done? Coastal communities in both the U.S. and Canada could be destroyed—and not just in the obvious places: By the year 2100, one in six homes in Boston could be regularly flooded. See why sea level rise impacts everyone—even those who live far from a coast—through this strictly scientific look by the Almanac.

Time-Tested Tips for Fighting Colds and Flu: The best advice for staying healthy has remained the same for generations—eat a healthy diet, don’t skimp on sleep, stay home when sick, and avoid contact with public

surfaces. The 2021 Old Farmer’s Almanac digs deeper into the tried-and-true (including how and when to wash your hands) and also offers folklore advice that’s a bit less common but—according to some—no less effective!

Farming for Good: For anyone who has ever thought about trading in their modern life for rural simplicity, let this article be an inspiration! The 2021 Old Farmer’s Almanac shares the stories of farmers who work their dreams while making a difference, including the Vermont goat farm that

runs completely on solar power, a cotton farmer who changed his whole operation after the birth of his son, and the teacher who turned 12 acres of hardscrabble land into a working North Carolina farm that is changing the community.

ALL OF THIS, PLUS … • food, garden, financial, and lifestyle trends for 2021• love lessons from old Valentines• the fascinating world of migrating birds• the ups and downs of competitive stone-

skipping• do-it-yourself weather forecasting• an unconventional method of chimney-sweeping • award-winning appetizer recipes… and many, many more articles and bits of valuable advice that continue The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s time-honored tradition of being “useful, with a pleasant degree of humor.” Good things do come in small packages!

THE 2021 OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC IS AVAIL ABLE at Almanac.com or wherever books and magazines are sold, including at brick-and-mortar locations of grocery, hardware, and home stores. The Old Farmer’s Almanac encourages readers to buy from independent booksellers and retailers whenever possible. Find local retailers at Almanac.com/Wheretobuy.

FOR AT-HOME DELIVERY, order The 2021 Old Farmer’s Almanac online at Almanac .com/Shop, the Web stores of local retailers, or Amazon.com or by calling 1-800-ALMANAC. Save a tree with the digital version of any of the Almanac’s titles from Almanac.com/Shop, iTunes, or Amazon.

E D I T O R ’ S N O T E : To set up an interview or request a print edition of The 2021 Old Farmer’s Almanac, please contact Ginger Vaughan (ginger@quinnbrein.com) or Sam Jones (sam@quinnbrein.com) via email.

You can also find press materials, cover art, and weather maps at Almanac.com/Press.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac—with its iconic yellow cover—originates from Yankee Publishing Inc., an employee-owned company in Dublin, New Hampshire. The Almanac’s editors also produce the annual

Garden Guide, digital monthly magazine EXTRA!, The Old Farmer’s Almanac for Kids, and Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook (now in its second printing!). Daily Almanac wit and wisdom are available through Almanac.com,

Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and the Amazon Echo and Google Home voice assistants.

W E AT H E R

8180 Photo: Pgiam/Getty Images

Pigeon Point Lighthouse stands sentinel over California’s

rocky shore.

From Sea to Rising Sea

With ocean levels relentlessly increasing, it’s time to understand

why, how, and where.by Brian Fagan

HIGH TIMES?Are you seeing signs of higher

tides or water levels? Share images on @theoldfarmersalmanac

Photo: Svetlana Monyakova/Getty Images

G A R D E N I N G G A R D E N I N G

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SMALL-SPACE

GARDENING101

B y making efficient use of every inch of soil and sun-shine, you can easily grow

plenty of produce in a small garden or proper container. Intensive gardening techniques have been used for centu-ries by many cultures to compensate for limitations of climate, water, labor, and arable land. Today, we can employ these same practical ideas to get a bountiful harvest from a small space. What are you waiting for?

(continued)

All you need to know to grow food in an area of almost any size

Can’t contain yourself over your big results from small spaces? Share your pride with the world on @theoldfarmersalmanac!

FARMING for GOOD

by Stacey Kusterbeck and Karen Davidson

S P E C I A L R E P O R T

4948 Photo: Chip Natvig

Farmers at Ayers Brook Goat Dairy have learned the hard way to goat-proof everything—

light switches, doorknobs, the grain auger. “Goats are curious by nature. They can’t resist the opportunity to fiddle with something. If you look away for 5 seconds, you will have a cleanup project on your hands that will consume your entire afternoon,” says owner Miles Hooper.

A herd of 1,000 does produces milk for Vermont Creamery and a lo-cal producer of goat’s milk caramel sauce, among other customers. “It’s a marginal business. A lot of things have to go right for you to get paid,” notes Hooper. Producing high-quality milk is a priority. “Our contribution to the industry is not the amount of milk that we put in the bulk tank, but the genetic work we do to create heathi-er, more efficient animals,” Hooper explains. “The more protein—par-

ticularly casein—that we have in our goat’s milk, the better the conversion factor from pounds of milk to cheese.”

With a healthier profit margin, the farmers preserve both their liveli-hood and the environment. Recently, Hooper purchased a piece of land slated for development and preserved it for agriculture through a conserva-tion easement with the Vermont Land Trust. In 2014, he added solar panels to a 14,000-square-foot barn, allowing the 266-acre farm to be run complete-ly on solar electricity.

Years ago, Hooper visited goat farmers in rural France who some-how found time for an unrushed mid-day meal. Living by this example, Hooper intends to show his children that farming doesn’t necessarily mean nonstop labor: “We are trying to keep the farm fun and lighthearted enough that they might actually be inclined to take it on.” (continued)

AYERS BROOK GOAT DAIRYRANDOLPH, VERMONT

FARMERS SHARE THEIR STORIES, INSPIRATIONS,

DREAMS, AND ADVICE.

Miles Hooper

N AT U R E

7372 Photo: sharply done/Getty Images

birds on the WING

Facts and fallacies about avian migrationBY KATHERINE SWARTS

Migratory birds bind up the corners of this increasingly

fragmented globe— uniting the poles and the

tropics, forests and deserts, wilderness and cities.

A planet that sustains them will sustain us; their fate

is our fate.–Scott Weidensaul, American naturalist

and author of Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with

Migratory Birds (b. 1959)

TAKE A GANDER AT THIS! Show us your feathered

friends, whether in the wild or at home. Post pics at

@theoldfarmersalmanac