By Lori EhdeWhat April lacked in spring showers May is more than making up for in precipitation.Since Mother’s Day weekend, Rock County has seen nearly 3 inches of rain, with showers drawn out over long periods of gray, drizzly days.Soybean producers have had to be quick during opportunities for planting, because dry days have been few and far between.In the past two weeks, it’s rained 10 out of the 14 days.According to agronomist Chris Hein, nearly half of Rock County’s soybeans have been planted and dry weather is needed to get the rest in."I don’t feel like we’re at a point where we’re getting behind, but typically we like to have them in by the third or fourth week in May," said Hein, who works for SWMN Farmer’s Co-op Elevator, Luverne.He said corn was planted on time, but cold, wet weather isn’t good for new sprouts."It’s been popping up in the last day or two, and it’s coming up yellow and unhealthy looking," Hein said Tuesday. "Considering the weather, we’re not surprised. We need some 70- to 80-degree planting days to get us going."The winds don’t stop Also noteworthy about May’s weather patterns is the wind.Since May 1, wind gusts in Luverne have measured at more than 25 mph for all but three of the past 17 days. For 11 days, gust speeds were more than 30 mph, topping out at 42 mph on a few days.While it’s generally a nuisance for most people, some pay close attention to the wind forecast because it affects their livelihood.For example, LFW Sandblasting and Painting crews have been waiting for calm days to finish painting the water tower north of the new hospital complex. The inside and exterior primer and final coats are nearly done, but they still need to paint the City of Luverne logo and the Sioux Valley logo for the final touch.In order for conditions to be safe, paint crews need winds to be slower than 20 mph. The scheduled completion for the water tower is June 1.Wind makes moneyOn the other hand, local wind energy investors are enjoying the windy weather.Seven wind turbines are now capturing the breezes and converting wind to marketable kilowatts."We sell electricity by the kilowatt, so we get paid for it and it does mean more for our owners," said David Kolsrud, Beaver Creek. "When we have sustained winds like we’ve been having, the towers are producing electricity at maximum capacity."Kolsrud is on the Minnwind board and is one of roughly 250 local investors in the wind energy projects.He said the turbines are programmed to shut down if gusts reach more than 40 mph, but for the most part, windy days are good news."You lay in bed at night and you hear the wind hitting the house, and at least you know the wind turbines are turning," he said. "So there’s a silver lining to this little wind cloud."He said another local wind energy project is on the horizon, so there may be opportunities for new investors.
