Farmers get the season started

Near Rothsay today, a picture perfect planting day. Roger Bilden prepped this field for soybeans. After a series of late starts and an April surprise…

“Last year was very wet; right now we are thirty days ahead of time.”

This puts Bilden and other farmers ahead of the game for the growing season. The seed in the ground, a little sun, once the soil warms up its game time.

“A big advantage is for the fall. Last year everyone was combining in cold weather. It got late and wet so we are getting a jump on it this year.”

What is crazy about this spring's planting season is a lot of farmers have not been able to get into the fields to last year's crop off. So there will be a lot of combining and planting going on at the same time.

Kevin Watterud from the Rothsay Farmer's Elevator has a busy two months ahead of him. This fertilizer unit usually isn't out working until mid to late April.

“Get the crop in early and get a better start.”

It is a welcome start to the planting season. For many, a welcome well deserved break.

Horticulturists say the early planting season will give growers a bit of a head start into the growing season. The Extension Service says with our warmer temperatures, farmers are not only getting into the field earlier, but the soil is warming up enough for the early field work to pay off.

“I am sure they are all hoping if they get in there early enough it might be higher yields, but the small grains like tend to grow cool temps, but also 37-39 is low spectrum. So even though we get cool weather, at least they are in the ground even if they are up they can get some growth.”

Many of the growers in the Otter Tail, Wilkin, and Becker County region made it into the fields over the Easter weekend and could have grains planted by week's end.

Tags: kevin wallevand, agriculture, weather, rothsay, minnesota, bilden