Let the thawing commence

March is finally here! That usually means longer days, slightly warmer temperatures, and the possibility of lousy, wet weather. This week we should see some thawing especially if the night time temperatures don't drop to dramatically.
If you have been in the country you have noticed the tiles and creeks have been running for a while now. Two weeks ago ISU reported that the 4 inch soil depth temp. was about 31 degrees F. I would say we are thawing from the bottom up. This combined with gradual thawing could lessen some flooding. However we experienced lots of fog this winter so I would guess we will have a rather rainy end of March and April.
What does this mean? Soil conditions will probably be difficult. Timing for tillage, fertilizer applications, & planting will be difficult. We will be trying to be as on the time as possible with applications, but stress and tension will no doubt be high again this spring. What can you do to help make spring work as smooth as possible? Meet with your sales agronomist in March. Plan your fields. What work needs done? What order will they likely be done in? When will your seed be delivered? Can you make crop plans and work orders now? Taking care of these house keeping items in March will potentially make April and May work much less stressful.
What concerns should you have about Nitrogen management when there is a wet spring threat? If you are on a Nitrogen management plan trying to use precision planting techniques you may need to look at the soil types again to check the leaching risks for those soil types so you can be prepared to manage loss.
Fall NH3 applications have the possibility of experiencing added losses to an extra wet spring. Be prepared to side-dress nitrogen or add some over the top pre-plant nitrogen fertilizer.
If your planning on putting all your nitrogen on pre-plant watch for losses if we have excess rains. React by side dressing. Another option would be to use nitrogen inhibitors such as Instinct.

We have been waiting for months to start a new season. Spring is marked on the calender in 20 days. Let's hope for spring weather too.