Snow and cold weather in May hampers production of ethanol allegedly needed to fight global warming

The Fergus Falls Daily Journal - Late storms slow area farmers

“These days, during cold weather, it’s actually better to have snow covering the fields,” John Haarstad said. “The snow reflects the heat and insulates the ground. On the uncovered areas, however, a freeze into the ground could damage the corn seeds. We won’t know the extent of any damage until the sprouting process begins.”

As of Tuesday the problems were the cold nights. The Haarstads looked forward to warmer days, getting rid of the remaining snow, and returning to the fields for corn planting.

“When we do get back into the fields, it may be a slower process due to more potholes,” Mike Haarstad said. “Even so, we might be able to finish the corn planting in six or seven days, if all goes well.”

One thing they’re hoping for is not having to retill the soil — the agricultural preparation of the soil by digging it up in preparation for planting.

About half of their fields will be planted with corn and the other half with soybeans. Later in the year they will haul the corn to the nearby ethanol plant northwest of Fergus Falls.