Farmers: Recent damp weather is more bad news

Brian Hanson pulls up to the edge of a field he was planting Thursday afternoon south of Grand Meadow.

Brian Hanson pulls up to the edge of a field he was planting Thursday afternoon south of Grand Meadow.

Promising sunshine and warm weather may have lifted spirits last week, but that has come crashing down in the form of more rain.

According to the National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wis., there is a chance of rain every day through next Thursday, along with chances for thunderstorms, as well. The saturated conditions are bad news for farmers, who have been significantly delayed in planting corn and soybeans this year.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, only 18 percent of this year’s projected corn crop had been planted as of May 12, down from 86 percent on that same day 2012. While a few farmers have planted some soybeans, USDA’s Crop Progress report showed 0 percent of the state’s soybeans were in by May 12, which is down from 40 percent in 2012.

According to the U.S. Drought portal’s May 11 report, portions of southeastern Minnesota’s soil were rated from abnormally moist to wet.

And plenty of rain has fallen since then, as well. The conditions are a sharp contrast from last year, when farmers put seeds into severely dry ground in the area. At that point, much of the Midwest was in a severe drought, which started in August 2011. Some longtime farmers said it was the driest planting they could recall since the 1970s.

“The subsoil moisture is non-existent,” was Pete Tangren’s comment on April 12 last year.

According to the U.S. Drought monitor, southeastern Minnesota has no longer been considered in a drought for several weeks. Furthermore, the drought is steadily receding westward.

The Austin area is in the midst of one of its wettest springs on record, which NWS tracks from March 1 through May 31. As of Friday, Austin had recorded 13.99 inches of rain in that period, compared to 1945’s record of 15.96. Furthermore, Austin was at a record for rainfall from Jan. 1 to May 17 with 15.56 inches of rain. The previous record for that period was 14.58 in 1995. According to guages at the Austin airport, Austin had received an additional 2.23 inches of rain on Friday.

Brian Hanson plants a field south of Grand Meadow Thursday afternoon as farmers throughout the area hit the fields to take advantage of the nice weather.

Brian Hanson plants a field south of Grand Meadow Thursday afternoon as farmers throughout the area hit the fields to take advantage of the nice weather.

SportsPlus

Brownsdale

Cedar River project makes use of local company’s hardware

Education

‘How can I make a difference?’

Education

Photos: Austin HS holds mock election

Mower County

In Your Community: International Paper awards $2K to fire department

Mower County

In Your Community: Brownsdale Study Club enjoys Winona outing

Mower County

In Your Community: Horticulture Society invites public to next meeting

Mower County

In Your Community: Duplicate Bridge

Mower County

In Your Community: Mower County Senior Center

Crime, Courts & Emergencies

Convictions: Oct. 14-21

News

US employers added just 12,000 jobs last month as hurricanes and strikes sharply reduce payrolls

Mower County

Rochester man charged with criminal sexual conduct

News

Musk tests the role of money in U.S. politics with multimillion-dollar effort to back Trump

News

Should Minnesota continue to put lottery dollars toward the environment?

Mower County

Photos: Tricks, treats and smiles at Comforcare

Crime, Courts & Emergencies

Woman in pull-tab scheme to serve jail time

Crime, Courts & Emergencies

APD searching for armed robbery suspect

Mower County

Active Transportation Planning Assistance grants now available

Blooming Prairie

Local FFA Member Awarded National American FFA Degree

Mower County

Austin Noon Lions kick up a party with 80th anniversary Hootenanny

Mower County

Austin Page Turners make selection for 23rd annual city wide reading event

Business

Kilpatrick selected as CRC’s newest regional business manager

Education

10 tutors needed in Austin to help students with reading, math

Business

KSMQ selected for Public Media Digital Transformation Program

News

A decade of racial justice activism transformed politics, but landmark reforms remain elusive