Winter came early this year, with a four day storm in early October. Snow this early on can spell trouble for farmers and the harvest. North Dakota farmers are no stranger to winter weather, but this year's first snow storm is causing lots of problems for agriculture across the state. "The coming of the snow last week is just like a 1-2-3 punch to the farmer who struggled getting the crop in the spring. We had a wet summer, which is good for production. But, the fact that we needed a late fall was helpful. But to throw all this rain and snow on top of a crop that is trying to dry down for harvest, has been very difficult," says President of Heartland Investor Services Inc. Eugene Graner. In order to harvest crops, the ground needs to firmed up by drying out or freezing over. Graner says, it's not likely the ground will dry out or freeze over before the next snowfall. With such wet conditions, he says farmers can't get their equipment in the fields without getting stuck. "The snow right now is a problem because first off, not only does it have to melt off, the fields are going to be very wet and soft and muddy because nothing's frozen underneath. So, they can't even harvest it once the snow melts," Graner explains. Graner says for the farmers that have insurance they'll likely break even. For those that don't, he says they're going to have the biggest problem in trying to salvage anything they can once the ground freezes. Graner says, while crops like sunflowers and corn might see some losses, they can still be harvested into next spring. He says soybeans will see the most losses. However, Graner explains on the national level, it won't have much price impact. Source - https://www.kfyrtv.com