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Conditions variable across Upper Midwest

An employee of a crop input distributor that covers 26 states says conditions across the Corn Belt are variable.

Steve Carlsen, crop enhancement manager for Minnesota-based West Central Distribution, says most of his recent travels have been in the Upper Midwest.

“In western North Dakota they’re pretty hopeful about getting out there early. In the (Red River) Valley it’s anyone’s guess right now with some of the snow pack we still have. And in South Dakota they’ve had some tremendous challenges with moisture.”

He tells Brownfield most of the region will probably see planting delays, especially in areas that were wet during harvest.

“We had a compressed fall where a lot of that work that we traditionally do, whether it be the tillage or fertility, didn’t necessarily happen just because of how that winter snuck up on us last year with getting wet and then all of a sudden getting cold really quick.”

As a wholesale distributor of crop protection and input products, Carlsen says West Central anticipates some challenges along the supply channel this spring because of weather.

West Central is a subsidiary of CHS.