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Spring weather is slowing a South Dakota farmer

The late winter storm system from a week ago is keeping a South Dakota farmer out of the fields.

Taylor Sumption farms in Brown County, in Northeastern South Dakota.  He tells Brownfield there was a lot of late snow and colder-than-normal temperatures, which has been good for soil moisture but not for fieldwork. “I’m surprised at how much of the snow is soaking in, and there’s not a tremendous amount of water yet, but we’re definitely, I would say, three to four weeks behind normal.”

Sumption says his average planting start is April 20^th for corn and April 25^th for soybeans, but the recent moisture is delaying planting. “I would say we’re at least ten days to two weeks before getting into any fieldwork.”

Sumption says there is still some snow in ditches and along tree lines in his area, and the soil is cold. “Our soil conditions were really dry so it just didn’t, the ground never really froze a lot which I think is helping kind of soak some of this moisture up.”

Sumption grows corn and soybeans with a little alfalfa and oats.