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I-90 corridor suffering the most from delayed planting

An extension crops educator says the I-90 corridor has suffered the most from spring rains.

Dave Nicolai with the University of Minnesota describes the heavy clay soils in that region as slow to dry out.

“We get down along some of those counties next to the Iowa border, maybe one or two counties to the north, they do have drainage where they have it tiled but things get overwhelmed with that much rain.  And subsequently we have had a lot of delays across that southern tier of counties.”

He tells Brownfield many of those affected farmers are catching up.

“Then I think it’s fairly normal as you go up into the Red River Valley and western Minnesota, a lot of crops are in.  Up in Dakota County where I’m at things are very good as well.”

Nicolai says the earliest planted corn is between the five and six leaf stage, aided by recent heat during one of the warmest Mays on record.