MSU Extension Farm Management

The 2019 growing season will likely be looked on as a year most producers want to forget.  As extreme weather impacted spring planting, overall growing conditions, and even harvest, there was plenty we’d like to put out of our minds.  Unfortunately, the reality is that these conditions could occur again.  As we turn the calendar to 2020, we should take time to consider lessons learned from this past year and how we can use them to better prepare against similar situations down the road.

One of the most important takeaways from 2019 was that we were collectively unprepared.  We simply were not ready for the tremendous amount of rainfall and wet conditions that we faced at the start of the planting season.  This situation left many farms trying to quickly understand what their best options were, and then which one met their needs.  The factors that go into those decisions serve as a roadmap and guide on how to better prepare for these types of situations.