Even with warmer temperatures, spring planting is still a month away

Mar. 18—GRAND FORKS — Even with the region's warmer-than-average winter, Extension educators and agents say spring — and planting — is still up in the air.

"I think it's too early to suggest that we're going to have an early spring," said Tom Peters, an agronomist at North Dakota State University. "I am planning that we're going to be planting on time, and that means planting sugar beets between the 15th of April and the 10th of May."

Since October, temperatures in Grand Forks have averaged over nine degrees above normal, with February's average temperature being almost 16 degrees above normal. According to Katelyn Landeis, an Extension agent in Grand Forks, the temperature swings and dry weather can be hard, especially during calving.

"If anybody's calving right now some of the temperature swings can be hard on the small calves, but that something (the producers) prepare for," Landeis said. "The dry weather might be more concerning for our livestock producers depending on how their pastures looked last fall. If they have any that are looking like they were overgrazed or had lower grass production, it might take a little bit longer for them to recover this spring."

Snow cover is below normal. Since October, Grand Forks has seen 18.2 inches of snow. In an average year, Grand Forks sees a little more than 3 feet of snow by this time of year. Still, this year won't be the least snowy winter on record — that distinction goes to the winter of 1957-1958, when Grand Forks only saw 12.9 inches of snow.

Having some spring rain will help. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, much of the area is abnormally dry to moderate and severe drought. The drier soils can mean higher rates of wind erosion on the area's arable land.

"A couple tenths (of an inch) of rain, that would be great," said Dave Franzen, NDSU Extension soil specialist. "The real fix is to keep cover on the fields. People who are a no-till and leave stubble won't experience as much erosion."

University of Minnesota Extension professor Anna Cates, who also studies soil health, agrees.

"Not starting the winter with wetter soil means that spring rains are more important for reducing spring erosion," Cates said. "Any crop that gets a lot of tillage in the fall can leave the soil susceptible to erosion. Beets, because the harvesting process can be so disruptive to the soils, can be particularly susceptible."

The March outlook from the National Weather Service forecasts that the coming weeks will likely be above average for temperature. There are equal chances for whether precipitation will be above or below normal. Regardless, the area is still at least a month out from planting.

"This has been a wild winter and I think it can get people excited for an early spring," Landeis said. "I think people are optimistic about getting into the field early, but we're still at least a month out from most planting."