Crops in danger as frozen soil delays planting

In the Midwest and the northern plains, the spring planting season is under threat because of frozen soil kept cold by a long, harsh winter. For crops like corn and soybeans, soil temperature is the key indicator of when planting can begin. In a typical season, the two crops are planted between April and May. Yet because of the persistent cold and wet weather this winter, as well as snow and ice remaining in some areas and a deeper ground freeze than normal, delays to the growing season are highly likely.

If there is a significant delay, the shortened growing season would likely lower the yield of the crop. A later planting season would mean that the crops would be growing in hotter, dryer weather than normal, which could potentially ruin some of the crop.

Recent weather patterns have played a big role in this brewing problem: As storms have tracked farther north, they've brought with them slightly warmer temperatures as well as more moisture, in the form of rain. As the storms moved out they were followed by blasts of cold air refreezing any areas that may have thawed.

While temperatures may soon be warming up, the damage from the added rain and snow has already been done. And the lack of transitions between heavy rain and blizzard conditions has only made matters worse.

A long stretch of warm and dry weather will be necessary to increase soil temperatures, and the latest long-term weather outlook does not appear to favor that outcome.