Spring seeding in the area is well underway, although it has been somewhat delayed by wet conditions.
Dennis Bergheim, County of St. Paul agricultural fieldman, said the strong winds experienced in the region have been a mixed blessing. Many fields were still saturated early on by spring melt from the heavy snowfall this winter. The high winds in the first part of May went a long way to drying them up. But that same wind played havoc with farmers trying to spray their fields and significantly increased the fire risk.
Bergheim estimated last Thursday that by this week close to 55 per cent of the area crops would be in the ground if good weather holds.
“The top soil is drying up but the wind has made it very difficult for spraying," he said.
“It's wet. We're just about getting stuck in every field," Flat Lake area farmer Archie Richard said from his tractor Wednesday. “We have to go around the wet spots and try and get them later."
Richard said his seeding is delayed by about a week.
“We started seeding a week late because it was so wet. We like to be started by May 10 but this year we didn't get out there until May 15."
He agreed the high winds were “deadly for spraying" but they did go a long way to drying up the fields. “Damned if you have them, damned if you don't."
While last year's fall harvest was somewhat delayed by rain, area producers realized some “excellent yields," according to Bergheim. Moisture and heat came at the right time during the growing season resulting in above average yields.
“Would be great to have two years in a row like that," Bergheim said, but it's early days in the growing season and he's not about to make any forecasts.
Area pastures are in fairly good shape but he said they could use some moisture.