Rock County farmers experienced typical spring weather as they worked to get crops into the ground for the 2016 crop season.
Luverne dairyman and crop farmer Rick Van Santen described this year’s planting season. “It was long and strung out,” he said.
In southwest Minnesota measurable rain continued to average 10 days a month, according to Troy Thone, local volunteer weather recorder.
He said the current rain pattern began in February and continued through May. The frequent showers left only a few continuous days where conditions were appropriate for fieldwork.
While the rest of the state’s farmers progressed well ahead of the five-year corn planting average (sometimes as much as 17 days according to the state’s May 8 USDA crop progress report) area farmers’ pace caught up to the rest of the state as of last week.
Luverne’s Dale Reverts works seasonally with CHS Eastern Farmers agronomy department in Magnolia. He was helping sprayer operator Steve Hansen apply emergence herbicide on Van Santen’s corn last week.
Reverts said the cold soil temperatures delayed the majority of the agronomy work about a month, pushing work typically done in March to April.
“We are about 97 percent done now,” Reverts said last week. “There are one or two fields out there (that are not planted).”
Van Santen said he finished planting three weeks ago when the area experienced six days out of seven suitable for fieldwork, according to the May 22 USDA crop report. It indicated the six days were the most so far for the 2016 crop season.
Van Santen, who has been farming since 1993, said this year’s frequent rain showers were the most he experienced since the early 1990s.
“You just kind of accept it as the way it is,” he said.
According to Thone, spring 2016 did not set any precipitation records.
May’s total rainfall measured just less than 3 inches at 2.92. April’s total was 1.94.
So far for 2016 the area has had almost 8 inches of rain.