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Varying conditions slow fieldwork for Indiana farmer

A western Indiana farmer says this spring has been a wild ride so far with varying conditions keeping him out of the field.  

“We’ve had a few days with some nice sunshine and warm weather that makes you think about planting and then the next day it’s 39 for a low and I had sleet and snow flurries one morning,” he says. “It’s definitely been a challenge– we’re also getting rain about every two-three days.”

Kevin Cox says he likely won’t begin planting for a few weeks.

“It’s going to be a late spring,” he says. “May is just around the corner and with the forecast we have I don’t think we’ll get anything in the ground in April.”

He tells Brownfield the late spring comes with a set of challenges.

“Now if you come in and plant and make the wrong call and it doesn’t come up then whenever we make the decision to replant, we’re looking at Memorial Day,” he says. “It’s just really tough to get an optimum yield planted in the last few days of May and first few days of June.”

Cox grows corn and soybeans in Clay and Putnam counties.

Audio: Kevin Cox, Indiana farmer