March 6, 2025

As the spring migration of ducks and geese spreads northward, waterfowl managers across the Upper Midwest say significant precipitation will be needed during the next several weeks to replenish soil moisture and recharge wetland basins for breeding waterfowl across the region.
As of Tuesday morning, the prairies of Minnesota and the Dakotas – key breeding areas for ducks – were dry and getting drier as winter’s minimal snowpack had melted long ago. In fact, during the past week, high winds had produced tornadoes of topsoil in western Minnesota and in parts of South Dakota.