If you think we’ve received a lot of rain, you’re right — we’re a little over 10 inches above normal compared to the last 10 years.

The question I had in writing this article is what is normal? It seems like we have had more rain and heavier, more intense rain, but is that really true?

I researched precipitation data from 1980 through this year. And when you average the numbers over decade-long sets, we’re really about average for rainfall.

Because recent memory is often our perceived reality when we look at precipitation over the last two years, and how this one finishes out, we’re above average. But the five years prior we were actually at, or below, normal for precipitation.

What about temperatures, it just doesn’t seem to be as cold in the winter like it used to.

Our average minimum temperature is much lower in December, January and February this decade compared to the previous two, but a few degrees warmer in March than the previous three. Maximum temperatures are fairly consistent over all decades, but individual years see swings in high and low temperatures.

And I think that’s the take home point — when we look at small samples, we can see dramatic spikes or changes in weather, but long-term things tend to average out. I will say the biggest changes in recent years are out of the growing season — large temperature swings are found in late winter and early spring, and for agriculture that can spell erosion issues on idle fields. So, what does all this mean?

It always pays to look at the seed tag for the percent germination. I’ve heard of some as low as 85 percent. Couple that with a wet spring this year and you can lose nearly 40 percent right out of the gate.

We also may need to adjust our planting schedule to account for cold late springs and a long-term move toward short-season varieties.

Finally, adopting more soil health practices and continuous no-till helps withstand fluctuating temps and heavy rains better than traditionally cropped fields.

Feel free to contact our office for ways your farm can better weather the storm.

Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.