WEST BEND, Wis. — Farmers in Southeast Wisconsin like to have snow on the ground for moisture heading into spring but they have not seen a whole lot of it this season.
Snow helps with moisture in the ground since there is not a lot of irrigation in the area.
Rick Roden, co-owner of his family's dairy farm Roden Echo Valley LLC. in West Bend, was not too concerned about the lack of snowfall just yet since there are a couple of months of winter left. The third-generation farmer explained that the bigger concern currently is big temperature swings. They can take a toll on cattle and crops.
Roden said when the ground bounces between freezing and thawing because it can push roots out of the soil, expose it to air, and ultimately kill the plant.
"If it freezes and thaws...we get a big rainfall and you got ponding on the field and it freezes really fast, that's where we're gonna see more of a concern with the crops as if they're gonna make it to spring," Roden explained.
This West Bend farm is primarily dairy but includes some cash crops and crops for feed including alfalfa, winter wheat, corn, and soybeans.
If the alfalfa crop does not survive winter, it will mean big expenses come spring.
However, there is still time. Roden will have a better idea of this winter's impact by March.
"It was really cold during Christmas and it warmed up afterward. If that continues to happen a lot more, we're gonna just have to see what happens," Roden said.
