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Farmers Already Working Fields In January
SPRINGFIELD, Neb. -- An extremely rare sight can be seen in the rolling hills of eastern Nebraska. Farmers are actually working their fields in January.
The recent warm weather means the ground isn't frozen and the soil is dry. Tilling the fields in the middle of winter is something Marvin Ostransky has never done in his lifetime.
"Never -- the only thing we'd have a tractor out for is pushing snow," he said. "That's the only thing we've been out in January doing."
The unusually long fall has turned into a milder than normal winter.
"It's amazing that the ground is so dry, and there's no snow and it's not frozen," said Ostransky.
On Thursday, Ostransky was working minerals into the soil. Doing the job three months early could mean a better bean harvest.
"I can mix them in so it can brew over the wintertime," he said. "It just works better, plus now this is something I won't have to do in the spring."
Ostransky's tilling all of his 200 acres while the weather is nice.
"We're going to put in 16 hours in the next two days with two tractors," he said.
As happy as he is to get a jump-start on the season, Ostransky is still hoping for some typical winter weather. He said the farmland needs moisture, otherwise it will be hard to plant in the spring, which could lead to an even worse harvest.
Still, he's using the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try to farm out some extra green.
"That's a lot of work, but what else do I have to do in this beautiful weather?" Ostransky said.
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