Lingering Winter Making Things Difficult for Farmers
Tuesday, April 16th, 2019 -- 7:49 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -It was one step forward and two steps back for farmers waiting to get into the fields this past week.The Wisconsin Ag Statistics Service reported only slight progress when it came to tillage and planting activity on its weekly crop/progress report on Monday. Most of Wisconsin saw blizzard conditions, with many places reporting record snowfall for mid-April. Fields were warming up and drying out early in the week, but the cold and snow put a stop to any continued efforts in the fields. Topsoil moisture levels were rated at 46 percent adequate and 54 percent surplus.
As of Sunday, spring tillage was just three percent complete statewide, up two percentage points from last week, but still two percent behind average. Oat plantings were also behind normal at just three percent. And about a third of the winter wheat crop is looking good to excellent.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.