Von and Rain

It is never far from mind how important weather is to agriculture. All winter long we have been talking to Ron Abramovitch from the NRCS’s snow survey unit and, just like the rest of the West, the snow did not come in the volumes we love to see. How about spring rains? Kind of the same bleak picture. So let’s turn our attention to local farmers as it relates to the weather.

 

In Idaho’s Treasure Valley, early warm weather combined with little to no precipitation is what Mother Nature offers to farmers heading in to the spring plant. “It just seems to get dryer. Every time we think we have a storm system coming in, if we get any rain out of it it is less than what they thought it would be.” Von Jensen farms here in Idaho’s Treasure Valley and says all farm ground is in need of water. “We are getting ready to start the water in our main ditch tomorrow and as soon as we can get the laterals flushed, we’ve got wheat, pasture and alfalfa that all need water and unless we get some rain soon we have to free water all our corn ground as well.” The April dust is more than usual but the turned dirt does have moisture in it.