News
South Dakota farmer waits for better planting conditions
A northeastern South Dakota farmer is one of many farmers waiting for better planting conditions.
Ryan Wagner farms more than 45-hundred acres in the Roslyn area and says he’s a little behind where he’d like to be as May begins. “In early May, we would love to have had all of our spring wheat in by now and at least off to a good start on corn, and we just haven’t had any opportunity to do anything.”
Wagner is in an area of the state where they’ve had plenty of moisture, and he wished he could send some of that rain west where they need it. For his farm, Wagner says he needs warmer and dryer weather. “Late this week to early next week, if we can get the sun to come out a little bit, then we’ll get some wheat planted yet but I think it’s going to be at least a week and maybe more for corn.”
Wagner says when planters do start rolling, he might be trying to get wheat, corn, and soybeans in the ground at the same time, but at a safe pace. “It’s not worth risking safety over so make sure everybody out there that’s in a rush this spring to take their time because it’s not worth getting somebody injured or worse, even killed, in a farm accident over, so it will all get done. It might not get done the same day you hoped it would but there’s no sense killing ourselves over it.”
