This has been a winter we will likely remember for a long time. It’s been pretty comfortable, unseasonably warm, and we got a large amount of snow and bitter cold quickly. Then as quickly as it arrived, it was gone. We have also noted that our ground hasn’t seen the hard freeze we normally enjoy. While it has allowed the melting snow to soak in rather than run off, we are not getting a normal cycle. That means wintering plants are not getting their dormancy like they usually do.
If you are talking about cover crops you will burn down in spring, we can probably not worry too much. However, if we are looking at alfalfa, a crop that we need to keep in perfect shape, we could be in a little more trouble.
Randy Welch is with Winfield United and he tells farmers to keep a close eye on their alfalfa fields.
But before you decide to dig, Welch says there are other things to consider.
Welch says that you should consider rotating your stand if the figure drops below five plants per square foot. It doesn’t matter how healthy the crowns are.
