Source: WJFW-TV
"Typically, we like to be out on our lighter soils by the 25th of April," says Dan Kakes as he looks at his snow-covered fields.
Kakes knows that won't be the case this year. He has been a farmer near Antigo, Wis., for more than 30 years and knows weather usually runs the show.
"You've been in this long enough [and] you live in northern Wisconsin, you realize that summer might only be three weeks long," says Kakes.
Kakes Farms primarily grows seed potatoes and ships them to potato producers out of state. Ideally, Kakes would be planting the potato crop by May 10, but because of the snow, that process will likely be pushed back.
"On one hand it puts us behind [because] we'd like to be doing other stuff, but it kind of all works together," he says. "Obviously, we aren't going to be in the field anytime soon ourselves," said Kakes.
Crops specialist Pat Prasalowicz knows he's in the same boat.
"[We're behind as far as] getting deliveries out there," says Prasalowicz. "Road limits are still in place and they might stay on for a longer period of time than normal, so that's going to slow us down, too."
Insight FS out of Antigo supplies fertilizer to growers throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula. Prasalowicz says the recent weather also creates a small window of time for the company to serve its customers.
"If everything happens at one time, that means we have to try and cover that whole sales area at the same time instead of starting in an area and just working our way to the north," says Prasalowicz.
Farmers like Kakes hope the weather starts cooperating soon, but he knows it's pretty much a waiting game.
"Nobody likes to wait and see, but you know, there's not much else we can do," says Kakes.