Agricultural Summary

Continuing rains and below normal temperatures have all farm activities and crop progress well behind the normal pace, while temperatures dropped to the lower 30’s the later part of the week. There were 1.6 days suitable for fieldwork. Warmer weather is urgently needed for producers to begin planting in earnest. Spring tillage is 24 percent complete, over a month behind last year and the 5-year average. State-wide, topsoil moisture rates 48 percent adequate and 52 surplus.

Field Crops Report

Corn planting is 8 percent complete for the State, nearly 4 weeks behind last year and normal. A limited amount of corn was planted across the State, although progress jumped 21 points in the Bootheel from last week to 31 percent complete. Winter wheat condition for the State is rated 5 percent very poor, 8 percent poor, 37 percent fair, 45 percent good, and 5 percent excellent, little change from last week. Three percent of the winter wheat crop has headed, 11 days behind last year and 10 days behind normal. Pike County reported some wheat may be abandoned and planted to corn, weather permitting. In the southeast, the progress of the rice crop is behind last year and normal. Nine percent is planted, over a week behind normal, while there is no emergence this year, when 18 percent is normally emerged by this date. Cotton planting is 5 percent complete, 5 days behind last year and 8 days behind normal. Virtually no soybeans have been planted compared to 3 percent last year. There has been virtually no sorghum planted this year compared to 14 percent normally at this time. Despite wet weather conditions, some soybeans and sorghum were planted in the Bootheel area while alfalfa hay harvest was just beginning in the same area.

Pasture & Livestock

Pasture condition is rated 3 percent very poor, 10 percent poor, 39 percent fair, 43 percent good, and 5 percent excellent. Pasture condition in the good or better category was up 10 points from last week.

Weather Summary

Temperatures averaged 2 to 5 degrees above normal over most of the state. Rainfall averaged 1.31 inches for the week. The lightest totals fell in the east-central district at 0.76 inches and 0.78 inches in the south-central district, while the heaviest total was recorded in the west-central district at 1.91 inches.