I was through the Dakota's in late December on my way to Montana, there was virtually no corn combined and snow was deep in the fields. We got done harvesting eventually, but it was a slow wet harvest and LP gas was hard to get.
In mid August of 2018 to mid September of 18, in 30 days we had 31 inches of rain in one months time, 2018 really sucked for fall harvest for us.
The last two years we've averaged slightly over twice the average rainfall for the year each year. I've seen droughts before and said I'd never complain about the rain, but I'll admit the last five years have tried my patience pretty hard to not complain.
Now everyone is talking about the corn going or gone out of condition in grain bins everywhere, one farmer alone is hauling out 40,000 bushels for manure, dozens of others have smaller amounts gone bad.
Last fall was a challenge to put drain tile in, this spring isn't any better. Last week we were bucking two feet of frost yet, the week before one spot over three feet of frost, water ponded everywhere and nothing fit really, but doing it anyhow with as much as we have needing to get done.
Let me tell you one thing, if you think its wet on the surface, that's nothing compared to five or six feet down, the water table is literally at the surface level. Last fall we tried to put a 12 inch main in the ground, got a few hundred feet installed and came back the next day to find it blown out and laying on top of the ground due to the high water table level. Finally got the field tiled, but it was a long slow process and the mains were running full bore all winter long, now with the spring rains, back to over capacity again.
There is no end in sight right now, all I've done the last few days since its again raining is to go look at land needing tiled and doubt I'll get to it this spring unless the farmer goes no plant again this year on parts of his land.
