There are all sorts of pros and cons to the unusually mild start to winter, but Minnesota farmers say it’s been a gift.

Normally by the end of the calendar year, crops are buried under snow at Brand Farms in Farmington.

“I think we had to have a couple of feet of snow by now and bitter cold weather,” Aaron Brand, of Brand Farms, said.

This year, Mother Nature is on his side.

“It’s a complete opposite,” Brand said. “We’ve had some pretty nice weather.”

The mild temperatures make it easier for Brand and farmers like him to do fieldwork. It’s also saving money, by lowering heating costs, and the warmer temps help keep cattle healthy.

Experts say the cattle love the warm weather and little to no snow, but crops don’t appreciate it quite so much.

“We’d like to have a little bit more moisture to help hold the soil, if it freezes a little bit more wet to hold things in place,” University of Minnesota crops expert David Nicolai said.

Nicolai says crops like alfalfa do well with a layer of snow covering the field to protect it from the elements.

“If we don’t get a lot of snow in the month, say for example January through March, then they have to be very dependent upon having enough rainfall in the month of April, Nicolai said.

As always, farmers are at the mercy of Mother Nature, but this holiday season, the mild temps are a gift for many.

“It makes me feel good,” Brand said.