Last week’s flooding events around Greene County not only made life difficult for road crews and motorists, but it could make life hard for farmers.

Landus Cooperative Field Agronomist Zach Minnihan says despite some field ponding and the ground still frozen, he doesn’t think farm fields are in that bad of shape.

“We’re going to deal with some soil erosion, but as far as leeching and getting fall nitrogen that we put on, we’re still not in a terrible, terrible spot as far as it going down into through the soil profile. It’s kind of a blemish in the countryside with all of this water, and all the tilelines froze, and we see all of these pictures around the internet of the ice break-ups and the rivers are full. But it’s not a horrible situation.”

Minnihan advises farmers to wait until the ground dries out before you start to plant your crop.

“Patience is going to be the key. Now with a lot of this fieldwork that didn’t get done, with having a rough winter, we are going to have to some corn stalks that have rotted pretty well. Once it dries out and we do get some fieldwork done, I think it’s going to go a little smoother than maybe what we initially thought. But we’re not encouraging to push it or push planting date. We’re ‘wait until field conditions are right’ is the best choice for guys.”

Minnihan estimates there could be as much as six-feet of frost depth in the ground and warmer temperatures and no rainfall would help to thaw it before fieldwork and planting season can begin.