Too much rainfall keeps farmers out of the fields

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Harvesting of row crops and planting of winter wheat are almost finished everywhere in Missouri except the Bootheel, where rainfall has kept soybean and cotton farmers out of the fields, the Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday.

In the Bootheel, only a day-and-a-half was suitable for field work last week, with rain falling on already saturated soil, according to the service.

The weather has kept the soybean and cotton harvests behind normal, the service said. The cotton harvest is 72 percent complete, 19 days behind the five-year average of 92 percent.

The soybean harvest is 92 percent finished, slightly behind normal. However, in the south-central and southeast areas of the state, the harvest is only 56 percent and 77 percent complete, respectively.

The corn harvest is 98 percent complete, on pace with the five-year average, the service said.

The sorghum harvest is 98 percent complete, six days ahead of normal, according to the service.

Ninety-one percent of winter wheat seeding is finished, two days ahead of normal. However, in the southeast section of the state, only 81 percent of the crop is seeded.

Statewide, 79 percent of the crop has emerged, close to the 80 percent average. Eight percent of the crop is rated as poor, 45 percent fair, 44 percent good and 3 percent excellent.

While the southeast part of the state has seen a lot of rainfall, west-central, central and southwest sections have been dry and need rain to fill ponds, the service said.

Statewide, topsoil moisture supply is rated as 14 percent very short, 30 percent short, 47 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus.

Rainfall, or the lack of it, also is affecting cattle producers.

Statewide, pasture conditions are rated as 31 percent very poor, 21 percent poor, 29 percent fair, 18 percent good and 1 percent excellent, a slight improvement from the previous week. But the service noted that limited hay and water supplies are causing problems for cattle producers in the northeast, west-central, central and southwest parts of the state, where pasture conditions are mostly poor or very poor.