Warm Weather is Impacting Crop Development

By Jenna Braford

The mild winter and warming spring temperatures are giving Michigan farmers a head start on their growing season.

The warm winter specifically brought annual crops, like fruit trees and winter wheat, out of dormancy sooner than normal. Madelyn Celovsky, a Conservation Agronomist with the MSU Extension Service, said the winter wheat crop is shaping up to yield good results.

“A lot of wheat is about one or two weeks ahead of where it would usually be around this time in the season. We’re seeing pretty quick maturity, and that can be a little bit risky, because there’s a certain point in wheat development where, if you get a frost, it can do some damage.”

Areas of Michigan that have experienced a late frost report minimal damage to fruit and wheat crops.

"Warm temperature and wind helps soils dry which will help farmers get through soybean planting and then get started planting corn," Celovsky said.

Winter weather also affected crop development, according to Michigan Farm Bureau's Industry Relations Specialist Theresa Sisung. She said Michigan didn't experience a freeze hard enough to kill off pests and fungus.

"Because we didn't have that hard freeze, there's some concerns, we're going to have more pest pressure, we may have some more issues with fungus and things like that, because we didn't get super, super cold. And we have been a little bit wetter."