It starts with a clean and well-prepared planter. Take advantage of these chilly days of February to make sure your planter’s in top form. Consider these tips:

Crop residue in fields tends to hold excess water and can significantly lower soil temperature in the spring. Where excess residue is directly around newly planted seed, it may deprive developing seedlings of essential heat units necessary for rapid emergence.

Which fields are ready to plant first? Often it is the sandier soils as they are first to dry. But sandy soils also have lower water holding capacity and are more porous making them at greater risk from temperature fluctuations.