March 19, 2010

KRAGNES, Minn. (AP) -- It's not easy for farmer Brian Thomas to
get to town as floodwaters cover fields in the rural areas near
Fargo, N.D.

He must take a motorboat across a cornfield resembling a
sprawling lake before he can jump in his car and drive to the
nearest town.

As Fargo and neighboring Moorhead, Minn., nervously wait to see
whether the Red River will crest on Sunday, some of the region's
farmland is already under water as smaller rivers overflowed.

Growers say at this point, it's mostly an inconvenience. Spring
planting is about a month away for crops including corn, soybeans
and sugar beets.

But a worst-case scenario of heavy spring rains and flooding
well into April could spell trouble for this year's crops and
livestock producers.