Late Season Snowstorm Delays Minnesota Planting
ST. PAUL (AP) — Minnesota farmers had another tough week trying to get into their fields to start planting.
According to the weekly crops and weather report for Minnesota, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the late season snowstorm added moisture to areas of the state that already were cold and damp.
Only 1.3 days were rated suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday. The average is 3.2 days.
Corn planting is only 2 percent complete, almost 50 percent behind the five-year average. Oat planting is 9 percent complete, compared with 96 percent last year and an average of 64 percent.
The USDA says livestock producers are concerned about the slow growth of alfalfa and pastures.
Farmers expect full-scale fieldwork to begin Wednesday.
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