Rain keeps farmers out of fields

Spring rains and snow have helped turn lawns green, but its not helpingfarmers who want to get to their fieldwork. The crop and weather report fromthe state agriculture department says precipitation averagedone-point-two-one inches or 50-percent above normal last week. That made forsome muddy fields and kept farmers from beginning to plant. The report saystopsoil moisture is 43-percent surplus and 57-percent adequate with somereports of soil erosion due to runoff. The report also says the cloudyweather has kept soil temperatures lower than what’s needed for planting.