As of Thursday, Hope, North Dakota farmer Al Juliuson hadn’t turned a tractor wheel yet this spring. A combination of late snowfall and recent rainfall has inhibited planting progress in the area. “It’s a little frustrating,” says Juliuson. “We were just getting ready before this last rain to start, but now we’re very muddy and there’s standing water.” Juliuson says area farmers are now two weeks behind the typical pace. “If the forecast holds, we could probably be going in seven days. We’re going to be planting corn, wheat and soybeans all at the same time. So, we’re going to have to sleep fast once planting gets here.”
