With Wisconsin temperatures sinking to the low 30’s, acres and acres of farm fields and high value crops are at risk.
Dr. Shawn Conley, UW-Extension Soybean and Small Grain Specialist, has been on high alert. Conley tells the Midwest Farm Report that he started getting pictures of soybean fields with snow on them early Friday morning. Still, Conley’s trying to remain optimistic. He says damage done to soybean fields will be revealed within the next 24-36 hours. The upside of this situation is that growers should be able to replant any fields that are destroyed by the weather, using the same varieties they initially planted.
Conley says evaluating wheat might take a little longer. He says because of the dry weather at the end of April and into May, many farms had all their corn and soybeans planted by May 1. That means there’s a wide variety in stages of plant growth statewide.
You can find more information on how to evaluate fields impacted by the cold temps here.