DROUGHT: 'WE NEED RAIN'

Corn and soybeans have been planted, and the immediate forecast is for ideal weather in the Midwest with normal precipitation and above normal temperatures.

But a severe drought lurks only 4 or 5 inches below the soil's surface, say agriculture climatologists, marketing experts and some farmers in Southeast Missouri.

"We need rain," said Larry Strobel of the Bell City area. "We've had pretty good rainfall on our farm, but right now we need rain for the crops which are up."

The Strobel farm concentrates on soybeans and corn. The family farms about 3,500 acres.

The rain that has fallen over the area has been scattered, much like that which fell over parts of Bollinger, Cape Girardeau and Scott counties Tuesday night. While some areas received significant amounts, others received only a sprinkles or none at all.

Keith Koenig of near Burfordville and Tom Green of Vanduser agree on the need for rain.

"The dry weather has given us an opportunity to get crops planted," said Koenig. "But right now we just wait day-by-day for rain." Koenig, who teaches agriculture at Delta High School, farms about 600 acres with his father.

Green, who grows soybeans, rice and wheat, farms about 1,200 acres in the Vanduser area.

"We're watching two things right now the weather for ourselves and the drought situation in the corn belt" of Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Indiana, which affects prices, said Green.

"We're waiting for wheat harvesting," said Cindy Faulkner of the New Madrid area. The Faulkners farm about 1,000 acres, more than half of it in cotton.

"We're doing OK now," she said. "The cotton is up and looking good. It's already starting to put on true leaves. We're probably about one rainfall from a good crop."

All mentioned another big factor: Gasoline and diesel fuel prices have risen this year.

Overall in Missouri, small, spotty showers have replenished topsoil moistures throughout Missouri, says Pat Guinan, extension climatologist with commercial agriculture at the University of Missouri-Columbia. "But the subsoil remains dry," said Guinan.

The prolonged dry weather puts much of Missouri in the "severe drought" category on the U.S. drought monitor map issued weekly by the Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska. The severe drought rating extends into central and Southern Illinois.

The five-day forecast calls for possible showers across the area, but a good soaking is needed.

"We've seen these rain and thundershower reports for the past couple of weeks,' said Strobel, "but we haven't seen the good rains."

Farmers in Missouri and Illinois have all but wrapped up the planting of corn and are continuing to plant soybeans. Farmers had six days suitable for field work last week in Missouri, where as much as 75 percent of soil is short or very short of moisture. Eighty-one percent of single-crop soybeans have been planted in Missouri, but some farmers are still waiting on additional soil moisture before continuing to plant beans.

Ninety-five percent of the Missouri corn is up 24 days ahead of last year, and half of the soybean crop is up. Planting in the state is about a month ahead of normal and 19 days ahead of last year.

Cotton planting in the Bootheel is 96 percent completed.

Farmers have been watching winter wheat. Only 63 percent of the crop was reported good to excellence.

About half of the first crop of alfalfa already has been cut, and other hay is 18 percent cut.

Pasture and range conditions were reported only 9 percent good. Sixty-three percent of pastures were reported poor and 28 percent fair.

About 99 percent of the corn has been planted in Illinois compared to 84 percent at the same time a year ago and 75 percent over the five-year average. Eighty-four percent of the Illinois soybean crop is planted compared to 40 percent last year and 33 percent over the five-year average. Despite scattered rains, soybean planting is at its second-highest level for this date, only behind 1988 when 86 percent had been planted.

In Illinois, the topsoil moisture condition improved to 12 percent surplus, 58 percent adequate, 24 percent short and 6 percent very short.

The next three months are critical.