What this week’s winter wall means for farmers across the US

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The worst dose of winter weather has hit much of the US from Kansas to the east coast, leaving many Americans digging outside of the tropical storm – including farmers. at least Friday.

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Farmers are always watching the weather, but depending on where they are and what they’re producing, winter always presents psychological challenges for farmers, said Carolyn Olson, an organic farmer in southwestern Minnesota who is also vice president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors.

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Producers know that the timing and amount of winter moisture affects growing conditions year-round. It’s also time to plan ahead – something that’s becoming increasingly difficult as climate change increases the variability of snow, rain and other weather conditions that can make or break a project.

“They’re doing that stressful part of making those decisions about how they’re going to farm this year, what they’re going to plant,” Olson said. “There is a lot of pressure on agriculture at this time of year.”

Livestock producers facing ‘normal storm’

Blistering winds and massive drifts from a year’s worth of snowfall in one storm are hitting farmers in parts of Kansas “in ways we haven’t seen in this area in a very long time, possibly a lifetime,” it said. Chip Redmond, a meteorologist at Kansas State University who developed a device to comfort animals. It includes a heat and cold index that the farmer can use – along with his knowledge of his animals’ age, coat, lifespan and more – to look for situations where it may be necessary to remove animals from dangerous areas.

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The danger is real: Calves, in particular, can die when temperatures drop below zero. And heavy snow in rural areas can prevent farmers from reaching their herds with food and water, Redmond said.

That means being prepared by moving animals and having a plan in place to care for them ahead of time is essential – which is difficult due to the unpredictability of climate change. And not having the right experience or infrastructure to prepare “really, really puts pressure on producers,” Redmond said.

Relief in some areas that are often snowy

The storm missed other states to the north like Iowa and Minnesota that usually get snow. Stu Swanson, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, said that does jobs like moving grain and working with livestock.

He added that without snow cover, the ground is more likely to freeze and thaw in a way that can help the soil. Two years of drought followed by heavy rains last spring caused tire and farm machinery congestion in some areas, he said. He hopes that without so much snow, the snowmelt cycle will loosen the soil and farmers may get the added bonus of some insects dying before spring.

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“We don’t have a crop growing now, so the temperature doesn’t matter. “We’re looking forward to some good snow,” said Swanson.

‘Feast or famine’: Extremes and unpredictability worry some farmers

The lack of snow is a major concern up north in parts of Minnesota, where producers have winter crops such as alfalfa or winter wheat.

A reliable snow cover is important in those areas because it protects the soil from the cold. A few inches of snow on the top of the field can keep the crown of winter wheat (which is underground at this time of year to survive the winter) at 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2 Celsius) even if the air temperature is as low as 40 Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius), Jochum said. Wiersma, extension professor at the University of Minnesota.

“There’s not much you can do, unfortunately,” when frost cuts off the crown of the plant, said Martin Larsen, who grows alfalfa in addition to other crops such as corn in southeastern Minnesota. He’s worried about long-term trends, too — he pointed to last year’s possible record warmth — and said he’s noticed a lack of snow cover in his region, too.

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“We were very dry last spring and we were in the field almost a month earlier than we normally do. I can say that there are concerns this year as well,” said Larsen.

Gary Prescher, who has been a small grain farmer for about 50 years in south-central Minnesota, said he’s seen a lot of diversity in the past six to 10 years. That changes his long-term philosophy on the farm. He said he wants to make sure his operation can handle extreme weather conditions, and that extremes of heat, cold, dryness, wetness or wind “have forced some changes here for me and my neighbors.”

“If you just look at averages, it’s very deceiving,” he said. “All or nothing.”

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