A cold front moving across the region this holiday weekend is expected to bring several inches of snow—precipitation that local agronomists say could provide meaningful benefits for soil health heading into winter.
Angie Rieck-Hinz, a field agronomist in north central Iowa, tells RadioOnTheGo News early-season snowfall can preserve late-fall moisture that supports spring planting conditions.
“In Franklin and Wright County, generally in pretty good shape in terms of soil moisture right now, but we’ve not had a whole lot of rain this fall. So usually soil moisture this time of year, at least precip we get in terms of snow, will all depend on how much moisture is in that snow, right? If it’s a really wet snow, that obviously contributes to our soil moisture because the ground is not frozen yet. But if it’s a really dry snow that probably won’t help all that much. We’re always grateful to have moisture this time of year because, for most all intents and purposes we’re done with field work.”
In a year marked by uneven rainfall and extended dry periods, Rieck-Hinz says the incoming storm can be viewed as a positive development for fields that are entering winter with lower-than-average soil moisture.
“What we really hope is that we can get that ground, sometimes that ground doesn’t freeze if that snow comes and stays. And that just makes it kind of sloppy in the spring. So we kind of hope that ground freezes up eventually. That does a lot in terms of reducing some insect populations to think about over winter. So we hope that happens, but we’re just gonna have to see how cold it gets and if this snow that is coming stays around for a while.”
She adds that the early dose of moisture may help carry fields through winter and could set fields up for a stronger start come spring.
Full interview below
