![Early Planting Starts in Southern, Central Minnesota](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2011/05/spring-planting1.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Early Planting Starts in Southern, Central Minnesota
ST. PAUL (AP) — Some farmers already are planting in central and southern Minnesota, thanks to the mild, dry winter and record warmth in March.
In its first weekly crop-weather report for Minnesota this season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says farmers expect full-scale fieldwork to begin on April 12. That's seven days ahead of average.
Spring wheat was 3 percent planted as of Sunday, oats were 18 percent planted and barley was 6 percent planted. That compares with zero percent for those crops last year and for the five-year average.
Three percent of land was prepared for corn and 1 percent was prepared for soybeans.
Statewide average temperatures were 10 degrees above normal last week. Rain helped replenish some soil moisture, but the southern third of Minnesota continues to undergo a severe drought.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
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