It’s difficult to imagine how this year’s weather in the beautiful, gently rolling hills of southern Iowa could be any more different than last year.

Unseasonably warm weather woke the catnip early last year, with many plants almost a foot tall by the second week of March. Two weeks later, a hard frost damaged not only our catnip but a variety of crops across the state, dramatically reduce the apple and grape harvests. That was followed by a serious drought that took a big bite out of Iowa’s two cash crops — corn and soybeans — and affected just about everything else planted in 2012.

This year’s weather has been unseasonably wet. In fact, we’ve just experienced the heaviest April-May precipitation total in state history.  That included a five-inch snowfall the first week of May and several weeks in which Lucky Badger Farms received two or more inches of rain. All the water kept us from getting into the field until today — a full 90 days later than last year. Surprisingly, the catnip seems to be starting out stronger than ever. And, Simon couldn’t be happier!