Farmers anxiously awaiting spring rain forecasts might want to take several deep breaths and keep their rubber boots ready.
Above-average spring rainfall is expected in March, April, and May—which is exactly what happened last year.
However, recent forecasts call for warmer-than-average temperatures in March. If that happens, that could dry up some of the ground moisture, making it manageable for farmers to get into their fields to prep them for planting.
How much rain will this spring bring?
“It’s impossible to say,?? said Aaron Wilson, climate specialist for The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
Time will tell whether the rain levels will rival last year’s, when farmers across the state struggled to get into their saturated fields. An unprecedented number of fields across Ohio could never be planted. When farmers were able to get into their fields, they risked their tractors and other equipment getting mired in the mud and compacting the soil, making it less suitable for seed growth.? Continue reading
