By Dewey Terrill
JC Post

Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte says this winter has been the roughest he has seen in his 37 years in this area.

“It’s been constantly wet since October, even before that. Fertilizer didn’t get applied last fall, trying to get it on this spring. We’ve got wheat, we’ve got brome grass that needs to be fertilized, should have been fertilized a month ago. Everything is too wet to get in there.”

Otte noted farm producers will have to do the best they can. Field work would normally have begun by now along with fertilization for the corn crop. Everyone is in a holding pattern.

When it comes to livestock the situation has been difficult. “The livestock producers have got it very, very rough right now, especially the folks with cow-calf herds. The storms, the extreme cold, we had below zero for a couple of days in early March. There’s way above average death of calves.”

The mud has also been challenging, leaving a lack of dry places for livestock. “And it was a short hay year in addition to that. So my heart goes out to them because it has been a very rough winter.” Frost just went out of the ground last week so there is some drainage and drying that is beginning to occur. But it has been one tough winter!