Extended winter weather could delay start of seeding

The snow is sticking around and that could push back the start of seeding for the upcoming season.

Jesse Ridgway, who farms with her husband just north of Lang, told the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Thursday there’s still a lot of snow on her family’s farm.

“It’s still pretty white out there. There (are) a lot of (snowbanks) left,” Ridgway said.

She added there was a late start to spring last year as well and she isn’t too concerned.

“It was quite wet (last year) and it’s looking like it’s going to be the same thing for us this year,” Ridgway said. “It would be nice if it was a little warmer and some melt was happening.”

Ridgway and her husband plan to start seeding in about a month, so she’s hoping the water gets moving soon.

As for preparing for the upcoming season, she said they’re making sure they have enough seeds, crop protection products and fertilizer.

They also bought insurance products to mitigate risk.

“It’s going to be pretty standard for us (this year). We’re going to kind of keep the same four crops that we normally grow,” she added. “Argonomically, it makes sense for us … At this point, spring doesn’t look too, too late, (so) we shouldn’t have any trouble with that. I guess we’ll find out.”

Everyone on the farm is excited for seeding to start, she said.

“I always think it’s wonderful when everything starts growing in the spring. Whether it’s just the grass in the yard, the trees or … when the (seedlings) start coming out of the ground, it’s kind of a beautiful time,” she added.

According to Ridgway, there was a lot of precipitation last summer and with the amount of snow that fell over the course of the winter, the dugouts should be full of water.

“We just need it to start running so that we can get into the field. I hate to complain about moisture because we like it, but it’s got to start warming up here,” she said.