A snowcat spreading humus on a field near Tremonton to reduce the snow and prepare for planting.
LOGAN – Justin Clawson, a Utah State University Extension Agent, said every day after April 15 farmers can expect to lose a bushel a day in loss of yield due to the wet and soggy fields. He’s not sure Cache County will dry out by then.
Generally, farmers are out in the fields this time of year preparing the ground or planting their crops, but this year due to the snow and wet conditions they have pushed back their schedule.
“Farmers are not too worried, yet,” Clawson said. “We have we’ve been blessed with the ‘80’s again where they can plant later and hopefully have a harvest.”
A lot depends on what crops they are planning to plant.
“There is a concern for those who planted fall grain,” Clawson said. “If they are 70 to 100 days under the snow, they could have snow mold.”
Most varieties may have to be replanted in the spring.
“I’ve done a little bit of work applying a darkening agent, humus in mid-March,” he said. “I applied it to some fields, and it melted the snow.”
There is an added cost of about $800 per acre to apply humus they are putting 100 lbs. to the acre. Humus is an organic matter that increases soil fertility and microbial activity.
“It is added cost, but it will be less expensive than the cost to replant the crop and take care of it right now,” Clawson said. “Back in the ‘80’s we had a similar problem. The professors used humus to get rid of the snow.”
Clawson said they used it and it removed snow on multiple occasions when he was a student at the university in the ‘80’s.
“All of the professors that did the work back then have all retired,” he said. “I am the only person who has done this.”
They attached a salt spreader to some vehicles and used humus.
“We would take it out on a field and it worked,” he said. “We tried it on a farm in Tremonton and a University test farm in Blue Creek and it worked.”
USU professor emeritus Wade Dewey did a lot of research which Clawson participated in and created a fact sheet they are in the process of getting published.
“Not only is the small grains and alfalfa in trouble, but also residential lawns could fall victim to snow mold,” he said. “Applying to small grains, alfalfa and residential lawns should reduce snow mold.”
Bracken Henderson, the Franklin County University of Idaho extension agent, said the farmers in the north end of the Cache Valley are also little worried about late spring planting.
“Dryland wheat that was planted last fall is likely to have more snow mold issues,” he said. “Last year there were farmers working fields on some of the sandy sites this time of year.”
“The wet weather hasn’t directly impacted spring planting yet, but it is likely going to since we just aren’t melting off very quickly,” he added. “Of course, that is good for preventing flooding. There are always tradeoffs.”
He said most Franklin County farmers are giddy at the summer irrigation prospects, but the longer it takes to get to growing season, the more it will impact them.
Kirt Lindley, the Hyrum Dam water tender, said people are saying the prolonged cool weather is a good thing.
“The problem is the cool weather is still bringing moisture and when it melts it all still has to go somewhere,” he said. “The water could flood places down stream from the dam in Wellsville and other places. It is hard to tell what is going to happen at this point.”
He is still has not started to save water in the Hyrum dam.