[Listen] Tom Hoverstad SROC April 4th Driest in 110 years

Earlier this week I called Tom Hoverstad Scientist at the Southern Research and Outreach Center at Waseca (SROC) to check on the "official" weather data for April 2021. Looking at the temperatures it was the average of the extremes. The first 10 days of April we were about 10 degrees warmer than normal with some 85 degree days. Then the last 20 days we saw temperatures drop to 6 degrees below normal. April 2021's temperature averaged 45.9 degrees only .2 degrees below normal.

I knew April 2021 was dry but did not realize how dry. It was the 4th driest April at SROC in about 110 years of records. Only .62 inches of rain was recorded and that was 2.6 inches below normal. Only April of 1987 was drier, then you would have to go back to the 1920's. On the positive side the dry weather allowed pretty well all the corn and soybeans to be planted very quickly! Tom said this cooler weather maybe would be a positive as the seedlings are not being stressed by very high temperatures too!

TOM H SROC FARM NEWS (3)

Tom added he is concerned about pre-emergence herbicides sprayed over the top of planted corn and beans. They perform much better when incorporated with a nice rain. However, even without a rain, they have some activity. So do not stop spraying herbicides because it is dry. Click on the link and listen to Tom discuss the April 2021 weather.