You might be missing the sights and sounds that usually accompany the start of spring in Door and Kewaunee counties, as farmers wait for their opportunity to get back to work. According to this week’s USDA Crop Progress and Condition Report, farmers across the state had just over one day suitable for fieldwork, with northwest Wisconsin driving that average up. While farmers in that region were able to do some limited spring tillage and planting of corn and oats, much of the rest of the state was limited to typical winter activities, such as fixing equipment and tweaking planting and nutrient plans, as they fall behind.

Aaron Augustian from Augustian Farms in Kewaunee says farmers were wise to hold off on manure and urea spreading last week, as much of it would have been flushed away by rainwater. He believes that with some sun and wind, activity on area farms could begin picking up in the near future.

Rain is in the forecast for later this weekend, but Augustian says it is nothing farmers cannot handle. Oat planting and spring tillage are both at 5% complete across the state, down from the five-year average of 16%. In northeast Wisconsin, both figures are at 0%.