Spring

Ron Elliott, a Knox County dairy farmer, described spring as, "a time of creation and regeneration... after we've taken the blunt and blow of winter." For Knox County farmers, the rains and warmer weather of April and May are signs that the planting season will soon begin. It is not until the ground has become warm and the threat of killing frosts are gone that farmers can begin their work in the fields. The seeding of the oats normally begins in mid-April, when the ground is just beginning to warm up. The corn and soybeans, which require warmer ground to germinate, are not planted until the latter part of April or the early part of May. Planting while the ground is still below fifty degrees can be disasterous for the crop and the farmer. Therefore, farmers are very cautious and patient when planting their crop.

Planting season continues into the summer as the crop continues to be nurished by the spring rains and the arriving sun.

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