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Hot, windy spring causes some crop replant in NW MN

A farmer in northwest Minnesota says hot, windy conditions haven’t been good for the crops this spring.

Betsy Jensen farms in Marshall County, Minnesota.

“Temps have been over 90-degrees, it’s been horribly windy and we’ve been dry. Some of the fields have started to blow. Sugarbeets, for example, turn into little helicopters. Those guys can disappear on you. Some of our wheat fields didn’t have a great stand.”

She says the farm has already replanted less than 100 acres of sugarbeets and spring wheat, but other area farmers have had to replant more.

Jensen says while the wind was bad last week, wind can be helpful when temps get cold. And temperatures are expected to get near freezing heading into Tuesday.

“Hopefully, things don’t settle. Yes, temperatures are going to be cold, but we’re hoping the wind stays strong throughout the evening,” she says. “We did use all of our plastic silverware, popsicle sticks, whatever we could find, to mark fields and make sure there’s still a plant there after the cold snap.”

She says if the cold snap is worse than anticipated, they’ll have to replant, but she says good crops can be planted late.