Agricultural Summary

Rains continued to keep farmers out of the fields and unable to plant over most of the State. Corn and soybean planting is well behind the normal pace. Continued warm weather is urgently needed to improve growing conditions. State-wide, topsoil moisture rates 1 percent short, 60 percent adequate, and 39 percent surplus. Spring tillage is 75 percent complete, 18 days behind a year ago and over a month behind normal. Subsoil moisture rates 1 percent short, 75 percent adequate, and 24 percent surplus. There were 3.2 days suitable for fieldwork.

Field Crops Report

Corn planted is 83 percent complete for the State, almost two weeks behind last year and three weeks behind normal. Reporters in the west-central, central, and northeast districts commented that some corn acres will be replanted due to excessive moisture. Corn emergence is 64 percent complete, 13 days behind last year and 22 days behind normal. Corn condition rates 1 percent very poor, 7 percent poor, 35 percent fair, 47 percent good, and 10 percent excellent. Soybean planting is 36 percent complete, about two weeks behind last year and over two weeks behind normal. Continued rains kept the southwest district at 8 percent planted, behind all other districts. State-wide emergence is at 18 percent, 10 days last year and 13 days behind normal. Rice emergence is at 93 percent complete, 6 days behind last year and 4 days behind normal. Rice condition was reported as 2 percent poor, 15 percent fair, 75 percent good, and 8 percent excellent. Sorghum planting continued to make good progress, mostly in the Bootheel, reaching 38 percent complete statewide, more than a week behind last year and just over two weeks behind normal. Winter wheat condition for the State is rated 6 percent very poor, 10 percent poor, 37 percent fair, 41 percent good and 6 percent excellent, virtually unchanged from last week. Ninety-three percent of the winter wheat crop has headed, over a week behind last year and normal. The first cutting of alfalfa is 41 percent harvested, 11 days behind last year and 10 days behind normal. Other hay is 18 percent cut, almost two weeks behind normal and 10 days behind last year.

Pasture & Livestock

Pasture condition is rated 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 30 percent fair, 57 percent good and 8 percent excellent, a slight improvement from last week. Hay supply is rated 8 percent very short, 23 percent short, 63 percent adequate, and 6 percent surplus. The worst shortages are in the northwest, east-central, and southeast districts. Stock water supplies are rated 77 percent adequate and 23 percent surplus. Warmer weather is needed to stimulate pasture growth.

Weather Summary

For the second consecutive week, temperatures were above normal throughout the State, generally ranging from 1 to 4 degrees above average. Rainfall averaged 1.38 inches, ranging from 0.82 inches in the northwest to 2.21 inches in the southwest. Barton County in the southwest district reported over 7 inches of rain.