<P> Ray Geiger was succeeded by his son, Peter Geiger, in 1994 . The farmersalmanac.com website was launched in 1997 . The Almanac Publishing Company partnered with Buy the Farm LLC, based in Savannah, Georgia for the purposes of publishing in video, television and new media, establishing "Farmer's Almanac TV" by 2006 . </P> <P> Predictions for each edition are made as far as two years in advance . The U.S. retail edition of the Farmers' Almanac weather predictions for seven U.S. climatic zones, defined by the publishers, in the continental United States . Predictions cover 16 months, from the previous September (when the almanac for the new year is released) through December of the publication year . </P> <P> The Farmers' Almanac will only state publicly that their method is a "top secret mathematical and astronomical formula, that relies on sunspot activity, tidal action, planetary position and many other factors ." The Almanac's forecaster is referred to by the pseudonym Caleb Weatherbee . According to the publishers, the true identity of the forecaster is kept secret to prevent him or her from being "badgered". </P> <P> Publishers point to "many longtime Almanac followers claim that our forecasts are 80% to 85% accurate" on their website . Professional meteorologists refute this pointing to historical results of below 50 percent accuracy rate . "The ability to predict events that far in advance is zero," according to Penn State meteorologist Paul Knight The use of planetary position, or astrology, for the purpose of weather forecasting originated from the second - century Alexandrian scientist Ptolemy . Like all other uses of astrology, it is now considered a discredited pseudoscience . </P>

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