Now that it’s April, we are getting closer to planting season for area farmers.

Greene County ISU Extension Field Agronomist Mike Witt tells Raccoon Valley Radio as temperatures begin to rise, so will field preparation and planting. Witt says soil temperatures are around 40-degrees, and that needs to be up to around 50-degrees before the majority of fieldwork for farmers can start in earnest.

“We’re not there yet, we’re still cold. Last year, if folks remember, we were really cold all the way through mid to end of April. There were a lot of people waiting on a lot of those scenarios. So this year we’re looking at, there might be a potential for some of that earlier planting window, if (warmer) temperatures happen and if that soil warms up.”

Witt gives us an update on where he sees soil moisture levels heading into planting season.

“We are fairly adequate when it comes to that topsoil moisture. These storms that have come through have really helped us in that scenario. Now subsurface moisture, we’re still lacking a little bit in there, still some remnants from the drought and other situations.”   

According to the latest Iowa Department of Agriculture Crop Progress Report, the colder temperatures only allowed 1.6 average field day work last week for farmers and some areas of the state are reporting frost in the ground and minimal field preparation work, including applying anhydrous, manure and dry fertilizer.