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Colorado snowpack, well above average, a boon to farmers' crops

Posted at 5:19 PM, Jan 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-16 20:16:40-05

ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. -- The Colorado snow isn’t just exciting for skiers, it’s helping some farmers in our state, who say all the snow will be beneficial to their wheat crops.

At Lewton Farms in Bennett, the snow will the wheat crop on the 30,000-acre property.

"Being more of a high desert area here, every little bit of moisture helps us out.  Anything we can pick up definitely helps us out,” said farmer Casey Neill.

The snow helps provide nutrients to the soil.  It also protects the wheat from the elements.

"The snow is just like a jacket. The longer is sits on it, the better off you are," he said.

The snow is great for the wheat farmers, but it will also help the soil for your own home garden.

"Same way it helps us, it's adding moisture to the ground. If there's that sub-soil moisture there, as soon as the plants get big enough to tap into it, they can use that sub-soil moisture through the roots,” Neill said. 

While the snow is a strong way to start to the season, rain will also be appreciated so one of Colorado's cash crops can thrive.

As of Monday, the statewide snowpack-water equivalent was at 159 percent of its median, according to the USDA.

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