With land starved for moisture, farmers react to winter so far

For people living in the city, snow can be a major annoyance.

Bad roads, having to shovel driveways and wet shoes are just some of the nuisances that snow brings.

However, some farmers are praying for more of the white stuff. After a long summer of drought, many of them need to have the sub-soil moisture on their land replenished.

That’s the case for Terry Rienks, who farms southeast of Broadview.

He said there hasn’t been nearly enough snow yet this winter to make up for the dry summer.

“I’m still scared, because I don’t think we got near enough moisture. We got eight inches of snow (Thursday) night, but it takes a lot of snow to make an inch of water,” he said.

“I’d love to see another two (or) three feet. We’re still low on moisture.”

Unfortunately, there’s not much anyone can do to make snow fall from the sky.

“Hoping and praying is all that we can do,” he said.

Layne Abrahamson ranches by Hanley, and grows crops to feed his cattle.

He’s a bit more optimistic about the snow so far this year, but he said it could be better.

“There is some decent snow cover, (but) not as much as a person would like to see, especially with how dry we are. But at least it’s not brown out … I’m not happy, but I’m not upset either. It’s just kind of OK,” he said.

But still, while snow would be a big help, it’s not the be all and end all.

“The big thing we need is spring rain,” Abrahamson said. “Snow is good when it melts in the spring, but if we don’t get a spring rain in May or something, we’re really hooped.”