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Spring field conditions improving in Minnesota

Farmers in Minnesota and many other Midwest states are waiting for better conditions to begin field preparations for planting.

University of Minnesota Extension crops educator Dave Nicolai says like last spring, there’s not a lot of snow cover.

“That being said, we had some earlier precipitation which helped in terms of moisture. But we are still as of the current drought map in part of Minnesota, what we call a D1, which is a moderate drought.”

He tells Brownfield soils are warming, but there’s still frost in the ground.

“Some are as low as maybe 17 inches, 24 inches. Others in some of extreme western Minnesota west of the Willmar area have indicated frost depth at 38 inches.”

Nicolai says most of the early spring fieldwork so far has consisted of spreading livestock manure.