As I am sitting here at home, I hear the sound of rain outside. A lot of us are supposed to see several inches of rain over the next week, leading to very wet soil conditions, especially in the heavier clay soils north of the Fall Line. With warm weather coming up in the next few weeks, farmers will be eager to get out into the fields to get ready for spring planting. This article from the Wisconsin Agriculturist describes some of the problems producers had last year following an excessively wet year and how it can cause soil rutting and compaction which reduced crop yields by 10 to 50%. While soils are quite varied across the region, and some areas have received less rain than others, it’s something to keep in mind as you prepare for planting. You can read more here and find some resources for how to manage rutted or compacted soil.
