Oneida County farmers and ranchers are seeing a glimmer of hope for the upcoming year as the snow is beginning to melt and the long lasting winter is coming to a close.  While they don’t complain of the moisture the winter storms have brought over the last several months, there are challenges and concerns that they are now battling as a result of the lengthy winter conditions.

With several feet of snow standing on the open farm fields, one might think that ground is frozen beneath all that cold snow.  The truth is just the opposite.  What keeps the ground cold and frozen is actually the cold air bringing the topsoil and ground temps down.  The snow actually provides a warm blanket to cover and insulate the ground, preventing the cold air from cooling and freezing the ground. 

There are a variety of diseases called “snow mold” that come from fungi that thrive in cold, wet conditions.  Several feet of wet snow for several months will provide the perfect environment for these diseases to cause real havoc on farm crops.  In a farming fact sheet provided by USU’s Extension Office it says, “The snow cover provides the fungus with a dark, humid environment suitable for their growth.  When plants are covered with a layer of snow, their photosynthetic capabilities are impaired and the plants will slowly lose carbohydrates and protein reserves which predispose them to infection by snow mold fungi.”

Cereal grains such as wheat, rye and barley are especially susceptible to snow mold, a crop that many of Oneida County farmers raise on their dry farms.  Crops that were planted early in the fall will have a better chance of surviving and recovering from the snow mold.  Smaller, less mature plants are more likely to rot due to the mold.  There are no treatments for snow mold, but the fungi will begin to die out as temperatures climb beyond 45 degrees.  On average, a clear picture of the damage from snow mold can be seen two to three weeks after the snow has melted.  

This timeline, however, can cause additional stress and pressure on the upcoming year's crop.  Waiting to see how significant the damage is after a prolonged winter only makes the growing season even shorter.  If a farm must replant, this too adds to concern of whether the crop will have the time it needs to grow and mature.

In a year with little to no snow fall, the extremely cold temperatures may bring on a different but just as devastating condition for farmers.  Winter kill, a condition brought on when fall planted crops haven’t developed winter hardiness or are exposed to extremely cold temperatures, can easily destroy entire crops.  When the ground isn’t insulated by the snow, the young plants are left exposed to the freezing conditions and without strong enough roots, might not withstand the cold.

If crops aren’t killed outright from the cold, the damage to their vascular structure from the cold will lead to crop failure weeks later.  The crop will turn green and appear to be fine, but then will begin to slowly die.    

Farmers raising crops that aren’t planted in the fall are also sweating the planting season this year.  Instead of worrying whether their crops survived the long winter, they are concerned that late spring warm up will be too late for many of their crops.  Onion farmers south in Tremonton and the like are unsure if they will have a long enough growing season for their crops.  What is even more distressing is that many of these operations already have contracts in place and can’t simply choose another crop for the season.

The lengthy winter is causing trouble for cattle ranchers in the area as well.  The usual spring turnout dates are coming quickly and currently there is little feed for the cattle to turn out on.  Snow remaining on the ground weeks longer than normal has pushed back the growth for the range grasses.  With little feed on the ground, depleting hay stores after the long winter and hay prices remaining high, ranchers are unsure what to do for their herds this season. 

Problem solving isn’t a new thing for farmers and ranchers, but Mother Nature has provided a tricky situation this season.  It’s a gamble every year and our farmers and ranchers are about to put their chips on the table.  If there are a few things we know it’s this: first moisture is key and with the moisture we have this year, something will grow.  Second, that farmers and ranchers are nothing if not dedicated and resilient.  I’m putting my bets on these producers that they will find a way to win the harvest in the end.