SPRING PLANTING: MISSOURI FARMERS WAY AHEAD OF 1995

Missouri and Illinois farmers have made some big strides in getting their corn crops in the ground.

Working around showers and flood conditions, Missouri farmers are ahead of the five-year average and "way ahead" of last year, Bob Bellinghausen, Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service statistician, said Monday.

"Statewide corn growers are 90 percent planted," Bellinghausen said from his Columbia office. "And in Southeast Missouri, they're 99 percent planted."

A year ago at this time, only 31 percent of corn had been planted statewide, which was down from the 77 percent five-year average.

Missouri farmers intend to plant more than 2.5 million acres of corn this year. That acreage, highest since 1992, is up 52 percent from the low level of 1995.

Illinois corn growers are still hurrying to catch up, with 78 percent of corn in the ground. Two other major corn states in the corn belt -- Iowa and Nebraska -- are 95 percent planted, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"Some Missouri corn won't be planted this year," said Bellinghausen. "There are some flooded areas north of Kansas City that won't be ready for corn."

The same is true in the immediate Cape Girardeau and Scott county areas, where as much as 12,000 to 15,000 acres are under water.

"A lot of land in the Diversion Channel area is under water," said Gerald Bryan, of Missouri University Extension's Jackson office.

"It's not too late to plant corn yet, but it's getting close," said Bryan. "There are some flooded lands that won't be ready. Farmers will probably switch some of that land to milo or soybeans."

Farmers still have plenty of time to plant soybeans. Farmers in Missouri are expected to plant 4.6 million acres, which is about the norm for the state.

Soybean production is big in a number of Southeast Missouri counties. Pemiscot, New Madrid, Mississippi and Stoddard counties usually are the top four soybean-producing counties in the state.

Only 29 percent of soybeans have been planted statewide, but that figure is up about 5 percent from last year, said Bellinghausen. "Farmers plant soybeans into July, although the earlier beans usually produce higher yields."

A lot of soybeans will be double-cropped on wheat fields, said Bryan. Wheat harvesting should start within 10 days to two weeks.

"I was in northern Arkansas last week, and wheat is almost ready there," Bryan said. "We're only a week to 10 days behind Arkansas' harvesting time."

The wheat crop in Cape Girardeau County appears "pretty good," said Bryan. "Most wheat crops, especially hill crops, look decent. Some wheat on lower lands has suffered disease problems."

Bellinghausen said the 1996 wheat forecast is down.

"When we issued our May 1 forecast, we estimated aboaut 1.5 million bushel of wheat for the state," he said. "That forecast has been revamped to about 1.1 million, which is down from last year."

Missouri usually harvests about 1.5 million to 1.7 million bushels of wheat each year.

Hay harvesting is under way now. "In fact, we're almost through with the first cutting of hay," Bryan said. Farmers in the state will harvest 3.3 million acres of hay this year, about the same as last year.

Cotton planting in the state almost has been completed. All cotton in the state is grown in the Bootheel. It is led by Dunklin County, with more than 140,00 acres. New Madrid and Pemiscot counties rank second and third in cotton production, respectively. Cotton also is grown in Butler, Mississippi, Scott and Stoddard counties.

Cotton farmers are expected to plant more than 460,000 acres this year, the second largest crop since 1954. The biggest cotton crop since the 1950s came in 1994, when 461,000 acres were planted.

Cotton planting is more than 97 percent complete, Bellinghausen said.