After one of the wettest autumns on record, followed by one of Iowa’s most active winters in recent memory, spring-like weather couldn’t come soon enough for area farmers as they prepare to get started in the fields for the upcoming growing season. Tracy Gathman with Two Rivers Cooperative says most local producers were able to get approximately half to three-fourths of the work they would typically have done before winter set in, and with the active snow and record-breaking cold, there was no time during the cold months to makeup that deficit. However, Gathman says the Marion County area is far more fortunate than many Iowa farmers north of I-80, where a record amount of precipitation has fallen since September.

“I’ve talked to some of my peers in northern Iowa…and while were talking about getting two-thirds to three-fourths of the work done here in the fall that we would normally expect, some of them we’re talking ten percent, so there is a tremendous amount of work to be done across the entire state and really the entire Midwest this spring to get this crop in the ground.”

He anticipates many local farmers may be able to get started in the fields as soon as this week. Hear more about the latest with local agriculture on today’s In Depth with Dr. Bob Leonard.