Like the start of a big race, or the beginning of a championship game, farmers in Minnesota and Iowa are anxiously awaiting the initiation of full-scale fieldwork.

Very cool temperatures have existed during most of April, which has caused some farm operators to become a bit concerned with delays in the initiation of corn planting. Soil conditions have remained too cold for ideal planting conditions during most of April. Rainfall and wet snow in some areas of Minnesota and Iowa during early and mid-April has also kept most fields too wet to begin spring fieldwork.

Once the fields dry out, the soil should be very fit for planting — if we get a little warmer weather. To continue reading this article about the spring planting outlook and some environmental facts about U.S. agriculture, click here:

By Kent Thiesse, MinnStar Bank