SNOW: Advantages and Disadvantages

Snow is a two-edged sword, at the right time it has tremendous benefits, but at the wrong time and amount it can cause significant management issues.

Another important fact to note, is that all snow is not created equal. Most people use the 10:1 rule, which is 10 cm of snow equals 1 cm of liquid water, but this is just not the case. We can have very wet snow, with extremely high water content, or very dry snow, that is light and fluffy, which is loved for skiing. This impacts the value of the commodity in different situations.

Snow Benefits

• Each inch of snow acts as an insulating blanket, protecting fall-seeded crops from winterkill, which stops frost penetration into the soil and protects the soil from erosion. On the other hand, when there is little snow, frost penetration into the soil is deep helping reduce soil compaction
• Light fluffy snow has little in the way of snow equivalent water, while heavy wet snow can add significant moisture to the soil, improving yield potential. The lack of snow can also aid in reducing insect populations, allowing cold temperatures to penetrate deeply. Snow can also trap nitrogen, nitrate, and ammonium from the atmosphere, free of charge, although amounts are not large.

Snow Risks

• Obviously, snow can delay harvest operations, and reduce the quality and grade of crops. The lack of snow can cause deep frost penetration into soils, which can freeze soils and reduce infiltration in the early spring and cause winter kill in fall-seeded crops or forages. Early snow in the season can be lost due to sublimation over the winter, meaning less water infiltrating the soil. Lack of snowmelt in the spring can cause shortages in dugouts and seedbed moisture for germination. Heavy snow and cold temperatures can also increase livestock feeding requirements.