Lots to think about as farmers head back to the field

The turn to warmer weather has some farmers heading back to the field.

Meantime, some producers will be waiting a little longer as they wait for land to dry up after the recent snow events.

Crops Extension Specialist Shannon Chant encourages producers in the drier areas not to seed too deep looking for moisture.

"You don't want to be seeding too deep because that means the seedlings will need more energy to get to the surface. They may just be delayed or it's possible if they're really deep, they might not come up at all. And then that plant is starting off with a stress to begin with. So even if you can't get into moisture, kind of stick with the ideal seeding depth."

The ideal seeding depth varies from crop to crop for canola 1/2 - 1 inch, wheat is 1 1/2 - 2 inches, oats are 1 - 2 inches, and lentils 1 - 3 inches.

Chant says it's also a good idea to think about soil temperature.

The optimum temperature for most spring seeded crops is 10 degrees, but some crops will germinate at lower temperatures.

To determine the soil temperature producers should take the soil temperature at the depth they plan on seeding, once in the morning and again in early evening and then average those numbers.

She notes another key thing to think about this year is the potential for herbicide carryover.

With the lack of moisture in many areas during the growing season last year there is an increased potential for herbicide carryover which can impact the following crop.

She says farmers should contact their crop input rep or product manufacturer to find out what cropping restrictions they could be dealing with.