PEMBINA (AP) - Like all farmers, Owen Symington had a lot of work to do before he started seeding his crops. Unlike most, much of Symington's work was caused by massive flooding.

Before he could plant, he had sticks to pick, current-created holes to fill, 2-foot-high silt piles to avoid and culverts to unplug. He also had to change his crop rotation.

"If you can't plant land until June 1, sugar beets and canola are out, and you lose 20 percent of your yield potential on wheat," Symington said. "This situation devalues our land because it limits what you can plant."

In Pembina County, 130 square miles of farmland were covered by water for up to five weeks this spring. Area farmers point to a road dike along the U.S.-Canadian border that they say keeps water away from Canada and fills their fields with water. The 26-mile earthen barrier has long been a source of contention between North Dakota and Manitoba, and is now the subject of a lawsuit.

"We're at the bottom of the drain here," said Symington, who farms 2,200 acres. "When Gov. (John) Hoeven came to visit and we were under six feet of water on our land, they were seeding on the other side and kicking up dust."

Symington figures he is three to four weeks behind in planting. He finished wheat seeding last week, a task often completed in April.

The overland flooding in the county covered 80,000 acres of prime farmland, threatened the town of Neche, caused an estimated $635,000 in infrastructure damage and prompted 42 applications for emergency operating loans from the Farm Service Agency, triple the usual number.

Farmers in the Neche area say another problem there has nothing to do with Canada, but with their North Dakota neighbors. They were forced three years ago to dismantle their farm dikes.

The dikes, which were linked together for 16 miles, were built without proper permits. The Neche farmers lost a lawsuit filed by Pembina-area farmers who said the farm dikes increased flooding on their land.

"If someone wants to dike their town or dike their house, that's fine," Symington said. "But you don't build dikes to protect your farmland and have the water come up higher on my land. That's wrong."