FAIRVIEW, Mont.—Spring weather can be a challenge for producers.
Jeff Bieber, who farms with his wife, Jessica, near Fairview, on the northeastern Montana/northwestern North Dakota border, talked on May 18 about recent weather events at their farm.
“The last couple weeks have once again proved what a struggle it can be in the farming game,” Jeff said.
Sugarbeet producers in the growing area were blessed with a 2-4 inch rain event two weeks ago, depending on location, followed by two “perfectly overcast cloudy, cool days.”
The rain and cooler weather two weeks ago gave a boost to the small grains.
“The small grains looked as good as they have ever looked over the past couple of years after the rain, with very good soil moisture,” Jeff said.
“Unfortunately, even though we had the overcast, cool days after the rains, a lot of the soils in the valley formed a very hard thick crust over the majority of the sugarbeet acres,” Jeff said.
Crusting on sugarbeets is usually formed when the rain falls hard and fast followed by sunny warm days that bake the soil into a crust. Unfotunately, about a third of their sugarbeet acres were affected.
Source: www.farmandranchguide.com