Timing of frost could determine effect of late, wet spring on farmers

A late spring and the second-wettest June in Cape Girardeau history have slowed planting this year, but most Southeast Missouri farmers have their crops in the ground at this point, a Farm Service Agency spokesman said.

"The plantings across the state certainly have been slowed down, but the reports that the National Agriculture Statistics [Service] put out today show that in the southeast portion of the state ... planting is almost complete," said Mark Cadle, FSA's state executive director.

He said statewide, farmers are running about seven to 10 days behind schedule.

That could hurt harvests if fall arrives earlier than usual, further shortening the growing season, Cadle said.

"It's going to depend on the rains we get from here on out and the timing, perhaps, of the first killing frost," he said.

In Southeast Missouri, 100 percent of the corn and 91 percent of the soybeans have been planted, with 39 percent of the corn setting ears, Cadle said.

"It's a little behind last year," he said. "Last year at this point in time, 82 percent of the corn was silked, or setting ears, but we had an extremely early spring last year."

The 7.76 inches of rain recorded in June at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport is 4.19 inches above normal for the month and more than 6 inches above the June 2012 total of 1.37 inches, the Paducah, Ky., National Weather Service office reported on its website Monday.

The city's highest June rainfall total was recorded in 1989, when Cape Girardeau received 11.09 inches, National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Noles said.

Seeds need moisture to germinate, but too much water can kill young plants, and flooding has forced some farmers to replant, Cadle said.

"Many times, when people would finish planting and stuff, instead of getting a good soak, they would get a four- to five-inch downpour," he said.

Noles said lower temperatures and heavy precipitation this year are the result of a more active weather pattern.

With the exception of 2011, hotter, drier weather has been the norm since 2005 or 2006, Noles said.

"In a nutshell, the pattern finally broke," he said. "... We've had more cold fronts move through the area this year than last year, more clouds, more precipitation that has resulted in the cooler weather and the pattern hasn't really changed all that much since the early spring, late winter."

Noles said the pattern likely will continue through the next month.

The National Weather Service is calling for an on-and-off chance of showers and thunderstorms every day this week, with the lowest chance of precipitation Thursday, he said.

epriddy@semissourian.com

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