IT'S SPRING: PLANTINGS UNDER WAY

More than 85 percent of farm land in Missouri has been worked at least once for spring crops and over 50 percent of corn planting has been completed.

Southeast Missouri areas report as much as 75 percent of corn planting is complete. In Cape Girardeau County, planting is probably more than 80 percent complete, said Terry Birk, director of Cape Girardeau County's Farm Service Agency.

Cape Girardeau County farmers plant as much as 36,000 acres of corn each year.

Corn planting state wide is about 15 percent ahead of 1999, when only 10 percent of the seeds were in the ground at this time.

Corn planting has been the main farming activity throughout the State over the past two weeks.

"The weather has been good for farmers," Birk said. "Even the latest showers about three-tenths of an inch Sunday didn't keep the farmers out of the field long."

Some farmers were working again Tuesday afternoon, and others will be out today, barring more wet stuff.

"Farmers will be concentrating on soybeans and sorghum next," Birk said. "They have a little time yet. May is the big month for planting soybeans."

Topsoil moistures supplies are good. The north central area appears to be driest, at about 85 percent short of moistures. Highest ratings for soil moister was in the Bootheel, with 98 percent adequate to some surplus.

Winter wheat condition is reported more than 65 percent good to excellent, with best conditions again in the Bootheel, where more than 70 percent of wheat is in the good-to-excellent category.

Winter wheat planting in the state totals about one million acres.

Farmers have expressed some concern to Birk about grain prices and the higher cost of producing crops this year because of diesel prices

And an Illinois marketing specialist said the average price of corn and soybeans may not go up for the marketing year.

"The average price of corn is still projected at a rate of $1.85 to $1.95," said Darrel Good, of the University of Illinois. "The average marketing year price for soybeans is expected to fall in a range of $4.50 to $4.90."

Good's comments followed his review of the United States Department of Agriculture's April report of the world crop supply and consumption prospects.

The projections of corn's exports has been reduced by 50 million bushels, due to increased competition from Chinese and South African exports.

The marketing year averages are dIntended 2000 plantings, released by the Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service and the Missouri Department of Agriculture and Missouri Department of Agriculture:

Soybeans: Soybean planted acres in Missouri in 2000 are expected to total 5.4 million, unchanged from last year, but 6 percent more than 2 years ago. The planted area of soybeans in the United States is expected to total 74.9 million acres, the largest bean acreage on record.

Corn: Missouri farmers intend to plant 2.6 million acres of corn in 2000, 2 percent less than the level of the past 2 years. U.S. corn plantings for 2000 are projected at 77.9 million acres, up 1 percent from 1999.

Sorghum: Sorghum is expected to be planted on 250,000 acres in Missouri, down 22 percent from last year and 24 percent less than in 1998. The U.S. sorghum crop is expected to total 8.98 million acres, down 3 percent from last year.

Winter wheat: Wheat plantings in Missouri are estimated at 1 million acres. U.S. winter wheat acres are estimated at 43.2 million acres, down less than 1 percent from 1999. All wheat planted in the U.S. is expected to total 61.7 million acres in 2000, down 2 percent from 1999 and the lowest level since 1973.

Cotton: Cotton producers in Missouri intend to plant 400,000 acres of cotton this year, 5 percent more than last year and 8 percent more than in 1998. Cotton plantings in the U.S. are expected to total 15.6 million acres, 5 percent above 1999 and the largest acreage since 1995.

Oats: Oat acreage in Missouri is projected at 40,000 acres, up from 35,000 last year. Oat plantings in the U.S. are forecast at 4.35 million acres, down 7 percent from last year.