MISSOURI FALL HARVEST AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. Dry weather has helped Missouri farmers bring in cotton well ahead of the average pace.

The Missouri Agricultural Statistics Office said Monday that the cotton harvest was more than 80 percent completed, about 12 days ahead of last year and a week ahead of average.

"We've been busy here," said Ann Johnson, from the Portageville Farmers Gin. "We've managed to keep on top of the harvest. We've had an exceptional year."

John Simpson is manager of the Portageville gin.

The Citizen Gin, at Wardell, the Farmers Union Gin at Senath, and the Cardwell Co-Op Gin have all been busy throughout the picking season.

"We've managed to keep up pretty good," said Glenn O. Petersen, of the Citizen Gin. "Cotton farmers in this are having a good year...The best in a long while."

Many modules of cotton are still in the fields awaiting ginning.

"A lot of farmers are going the `module' route," said Petersen. "Farmers can put from 10 to 15 bails in a module."

"But, there's still a lot of cotton farmers bringing cotton to gin in trailers," he said.

The Wardell gin doesn't take modules.

The Farmers Gin at Portageville likes the modules.

"The more modules the better," said Johnson. "The modules gin better."

With four and five-row cotton harvesters, the module idea is beginning to catch on in Southeast Missouri.

"Farmers can tamp from 10 to 15 bales into a module, and take it to the gin later," said Johnson. "It's recommended that the modules be left in the field at least seven days, and they can be left there longer."

The Farmers Union Gin Co. and the Cardwell Gin each do a lot of module ginning.

"We have a few trailers here," said a spokesman of the Senath operation. "But, a large percentage of our ginning involves the modules."

Farmers must check the modules daily. "They have to watch the temperature," said the Senath spokesman. "Cotton heat up, and it gets too hot, it creates problems at the gin."

The giant modules are 32 feet long, 10 feet wide. The height depends on whether a farmer puts 10 bales, 12 bales, or 15 bales into the module.

Good weather has also been a plus to other crops in Missouri. Corn, soybeans and sorghum are also well ahead of the average harvest pace.

The corn harvest was more than two weeks ahead of last year's pace and the five-year average. Most of the state's corn is in, except for the northeastern district which is more than 80 percent harvested.

About 60 percent of the soybeans were harvested, a week ahead of last year and four days ahead of the average.

About 74 percent of sorghum has been harvested, almost two weeks ahead of last year and five days ahead of normal.

Pasture conditions were reported at 23 percent good, 39 percent fair, 22 percent poor and 16 percent very poor.