The weather has been a little warmer than usual so far this year, but it’s not entirely a bad thing.

Iowa State University Extension Field Agronomist Mike Witt says that even with the warmer weather, there’s been enough precipitation that soil conditions are conducive to planting, and some farmers have already gotten started. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that farmers have already been out in the field, though conditions are currently dry enough that there was a good amount of dust that was kicked up.

“With that being said, we do have decent subsurface moisture as far as topsoil moisture. Where we really still are lacking though, is the deep subsurface moisture with that, but we do have enough that when we get through this planting season here, that crops will germinate and we are going to be planting to moistures. So those are two really good things that we have going for us, that we might not have been able to have some of these previous years.”

Witt mentions that one way farmers can be prepared in case dry conditions persist, is to talk with the people they buy their seeds from and find out what strain of seed would work best in their fields. He adds that this can help by introducing crops that are going to be able to handle the nutrient and moisture content provided by the field.