Stretch of dry weather is a welcome change for Northeast Wisconsin farmers

GREENLEAF (WLUK) -- Our recent stretch of dry weather has been more beneficial than harmful for farmers in Wisconsin.

It has provided a welcome change from the wet conditions that previously kept many farmers out of their fields.

Dan Wiese, a farmer and partner at Wiese Brothers Farm, expressed relief over the dry spell.

"Yeah, we've got plenty of moisture. I mean, in most cases, we're we're kind of sitting and waiting. The old saying, 'It just needs a day' is kind of where we're at right now. So, we'll definitely take a week of dry weather, and then we'll probably be asking for a little shot of rain," Wiese said.

April's steady rains left the region's clay-rich soils well-stocked with moisture, according to Wiese.

"We had a fairly wet April, and all those were very light rain. So we had a lot of soaking rains -- no big heavy rains, a lot of run off. So actually, quite a nice spring to get us stocked up on moisture," he said.

However, soil types vary across the region, which could impact how different areas fare under continued dry conditions.

Kevin Jarek, regional crops and soils educator with UW-Madison's Division of Extension for Outagamie & Winnebago counties, noted, "If I were to go to counties like Shawano and Waupaca, especially the western parts of those counties, they get much lighter in soil. It's a sandy loam texture, whereas here as we get closer to Lake Michigan, we tend to have a lot of clay."

The recent dry weather has allowed farmers to catch up on planting, which had been delayed by earlier wet conditions.

"Normally we would have 20% of the corn crop planted at this point, and unfortunately it's 5% or less for northeast and east central Wisconsin," Jarek said.

Despite the current benefits, concerns remain about potential impacts on crop yields if dry conditions persist.

"Every day that we delay corn planting from approximately May 10 to about May 15 or 20, we're losing 1/2 a bushel per day," Jarek said.

Farmers are cautiously optimistic, acknowledging that while the dry weather is currently advantageous, prolonged dry spells could lead to challenges later in the season.