This is the time of year when farmers begin getting ready for planting, and contending with the variables involved in agriculture; in particular, weather and the markets will both be watched closely as farming operations start up for the season.

Randy Miller runs a 500 acre farm near Lacona; he says weather made last year difficult for many farmers, and the flooding in southwest Iowa doesn’t bode well for this year…with some farms possibly never recovering.

He tells KNIA/KRLS News his farm and others in the area need a stretch without rain to dry out the fields before planting can begin.

“We probably need four or five good warm days where the nights stay warm and the sun shines to just get (started). It’s not dry by any means; I would say a good week before you’d want to go to the field,” Miller says.

As it is, Miller says his operation is going to need a week to get ready for the season; equipment has to be fixed or otherwise prepared for the year, and it will take that long just to get it all ready. 

On top of that, last fall’s weather kept many farmers from doing as much field prep work as they needed to before winter set in.