UNDATED (WSAU-Wheeler News) Wisconsin farmers are just getting started with their spring field work.
The National Ag Statistics Service says spring tillage is 4-percent complete as of Sunday, and 5-percent of the state’s oat crop is in the ground. Both figures are ahead of last year, when winter didn’t really end until mid-April — but they’re behind the average for the past five years.
Wisconsin fell into a drought over the past couple months — but officials say the recent rain, snow, and colder temperatures have provided some much-needed moisture. 63 percent of Wisconsin fields have adequate topsoil moisture, and 21-percent has a surplus.
Meanwhile, corn planting is just getting underway around the country — but it’s slower than normal, due to a wet spring in some major growing areas. The U-S-D-A said 2-percent of the nation’s corn is in the ground, down from 3-percent a year ago.
