MONROE - Farmers this year will be "living from rainfall to rainfall, unless the subsoil gets recharged," according to Mark Mayer, the University of Wisconsin-Extension agriculture agent in Green County.
After more than eight months of various levels of drought, Green and Lafayette counties are back into abnormally dry ground conditions as of mid March, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, produced in partnership between the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the USDA and the NOAA.
While moisture is good in the top 6 inches of soil, Mayer's continuing concerns are with the dry conditions at 12 inches below the surface.
Soil moisture conditions are "almost the same as last August," he said.
Last year's drought depleted the subsoil moisture, but ground water was recharging from fall until January, before the frost set in the ground, and had risen up to 32 percent at 12 inches, said Mayer, who takes his soil moisture measurements from one specified field in Lafayette County.
But now that moisture is down to 16.5 percent.
"With each till pass, farmers lose (the equivalent of) one-quarter inch of rainfall available for those plants," Mayer said. "We're recommending no-till or minimal tillage."
Mayer said about 90 percent of the precipitation from mid-January until now ran off into rivers and stream, not recharging the subsoil.
The last of the hard ground frost is starting to come out, particularly on southern slopes that catch the most sun. Frost is still in the ground on northern slopes or in ground that was heavily covered with snow.
"But any moisture we get now will help recharge, as long as it's at a nice, gentle pace," Mayer added.
Mayer has noticed most of the winter wheat is starting to green up, except in places where water and ice kept it covered in low lying areas or where no snow cover left it exposed to winter elements.
It's still a bit too early for alfalfa to break dormancy, he added. But farmers can determine its viability by checking the firmness of the root crowns, which should be the hardness of raw potatoes. A late spring frost could still jeopardize the crop once it breaks the surface.
Mayer witnessed alfalfa grown to 15 to 16 inches in height in April last year, an indication of the early spring-like weather. Normally, alfalfa is that high around May 7, he said. And farmers in all of Wisconsin had 9 percent of their oats planted by March 31 last year, according to the USDA crop progress report released Monday, April 1.
This year, so far, none has been planted yet.
"This year is more normal, or a bit later," Mayer said. Farmers should be able to get into the fields in mid-April to do their spring oats and alfalfa planting, he said.
Southeastern Wisconsin hit abnormally dry conditions in mid-June last year and went into moderate drought conditions by July 3. The area quickly sunk into severe drought a week later and extreme drought the following week. Extreme drought lasted until about Oct. 30.
Severe drought conditions were again declared until Feb. 5, and the area had moderate drought conditions until mid- to late-March.
Mayer said a lot of factors come into play, and no single index is used, to determine a drought condition. The Drought Monitor is a synthesis of multiple indices and impacts that represents a consensus of federal and academic scientists.
After more than eight months of various levels of drought, Green and Lafayette counties are back into abnormally dry ground conditions as of mid March, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, produced in partnership between the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the USDA and the NOAA.
While moisture is good in the top 6 inches of soil, Mayer's continuing concerns are with the dry conditions at 12 inches below the surface.
Soil moisture conditions are "almost the same as last August," he said.
Last year's drought depleted the subsoil moisture, but ground water was recharging from fall until January, before the frost set in the ground, and had risen up to 32 percent at 12 inches, said Mayer, who takes his soil moisture measurements from one specified field in Lafayette County.
But now that moisture is down to 16.5 percent.
"With each till pass, farmers lose (the equivalent of) one-quarter inch of rainfall available for those plants," Mayer said. "We're recommending no-till or minimal tillage."
Mayer said about 90 percent of the precipitation from mid-January until now ran off into rivers and stream, not recharging the subsoil.
The last of the hard ground frost is starting to come out, particularly on southern slopes that catch the most sun. Frost is still in the ground on northern slopes or in ground that was heavily covered with snow.
"But any moisture we get now will help recharge, as long as it's at a nice, gentle pace," Mayer added.
Mayer has noticed most of the winter wheat is starting to green up, except in places where water and ice kept it covered in low lying areas or where no snow cover left it exposed to winter elements.
It's still a bit too early for alfalfa to break dormancy, he added. But farmers can determine its viability by checking the firmness of the root crowns, which should be the hardness of raw potatoes. A late spring frost could still jeopardize the crop once it breaks the surface.
Mayer witnessed alfalfa grown to 15 to 16 inches in height in April last year, an indication of the early spring-like weather. Normally, alfalfa is that high around May 7, he said. And farmers in all of Wisconsin had 9 percent of their oats planted by March 31 last year, according to the USDA crop progress report released Monday, April 1.
This year, so far, none has been planted yet.
"This year is more normal, or a bit later," Mayer said. Farmers should be able to get into the fields in mid-April to do their spring oats and alfalfa planting, he said.
Southeastern Wisconsin hit abnormally dry conditions in mid-June last year and went into moderate drought conditions by July 3. The area quickly sunk into severe drought a week later and extreme drought the following week. Extreme drought lasted until about Oct. 30.
Severe drought conditions were again declared until Feb. 5, and the area had moderate drought conditions until mid- to late-March.
Mayer said a lot of factors come into play, and no single index is used, to determine a drought condition. The Drought Monitor is a synthesis of multiple indices and impacts that represents a consensus of federal and academic scientists.