Agricultural Summary

Farmers took advantage of a dry week over most of the State that allowed for steady progress of row crop harvesting. Corn, soybean, milo, and rice harvest are running at or ahead of normal, but the cotton harvest was set back in the Bootheel after last week’s flooding rains. Southeastern counties will see yield and quality loss on soybeans, rice, and cotton, as fields in some areas were under water for several days. The extent of the damage will not be fully known until combines roll through dried out fields, but reporters indicate soybeans and cotton will be hardest hit since very little was harvested at the time of the storms. Topsoil moisture supplies are rated 25 percent very short, 37 percent short, 33 percent adequate, and 5 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies are rated 33 percent very short, 41 percent short, 24 percent adequate, and 2 percent surplus. Although dry weather is appreciated for harvest, several districts are expressing concern about significant dryness heading into winter months. There were 6.3 days suitable for fieldwork.

Field Crops Report

The entire corn crop is nearly mature at 97 percent. Harvest is 71 percent complete, 3 days ahead of last year and 5 days ahead of the normal pace of 62 percent. Nearly every district is near or ahead of last year’s rate of harvest, although progress varies locally depending on dry-down. Yield reports have been highly variable, even within local areas. The soybean crop is 93 percent turning color and 73 percent dropping leaves, behind last year but about 2 days ahead of normal. Forty-two percent of the crop is mature, a few days behind last year but even with normal. Condition of soybeans is rated at 7 percent very poor, 15 percent poor, 32 percent fair, 39 percent good, and 7 percent excellent. Harvest is 11 percent complete, the same as last year but 2 days behind the five-year average of 14 percent. Sorghum turning color is virtually complete, while 85 percent has reached maturity, 3 days ahead of average. Condition of the crop is rated 2 percent very poor, 11 percent poor, 39 percent fair, 43 percent good, and 5 percent excellent. The sorghum harvest is 50 percent complete, 2 days behind last year but similar to normal. The rice harvest is 70 percent complete, 4 to 5 days ahead of both last year and normal. Ninety percent of the cotton crop is opening bolls, the same as last year but 4 days ahead of normal. Cotton harvest stands at 9 percent complete, about 1 week behind normal. Cotton condition rates 4 percent very poor, 8 percent poor, 21 percent fair, 59 percent good, and 7 percent excellent. Twelve percent of the winter wheat crop for next year has been planted, with 4 percent emerged, both slightly ahead of last year and normal.

Pasture & Livestock

Pasture condition is rated 31 percent very poor, 28 percent poor, 25 percent fair, 14 percent good, and 2 percent excellent, down somewhat from a week earlier. Hay supply is rated 21 percent very short, 33 percent short, 44 percent adequate, and 2 percent surplus. The stock water supply rating comes in at 25 percent very short, 32 percent short, 42 percent adequate, and 1 percent surplus. September rains appear to have alleviated some of the hay and water shortages in many areas of the State. However, counties in the west-central, central, and southwest districts still have dire concerns about lack of winter hay supplies and potentially very high prices for producers having to buy supplemental supplies.

Weather Summary

Temperatures were generally 1 to 3 degrees below normal, with a few counties in the east-central and southwestern areas of the State 5 to 6 degrees below average. Rainfall was very light with a state-wide average of 0.11 inch. All districts averaged below one-tenth inch except the south-central at 0.20 and the southeast at 0.55.