Agricultural Summary

Wet soil conditions from rain and snow that fell the last weekend of March hampered spring tillage and planting across the State. Topsoil moisture is 1 percent very short, 3 percent short, 58 percent adequate, and 38 percent surplus, compared to 43 percent surplus last year. Compared to last week the surplus topsoil moisture increased 10 points with most of the increase in the northern two-thirds of the State. Subsoil moisture supply is rated 1 percent very short, 6 percent short, 78 percent adequate and 15 percent surplus. Spring tillage is 25 percent complete, compared to the 36 percent as normal. There were 1.6 days suitable for fieldwork.

Field Crops Report

Cool, wet conditions continue to delay field crop activities across the State. Corn planting is at 2 percent complete, behind the normal pace of 11 percent. Planting progressed slightly in the southern part of the State and the east-central district. Wheat condition is rated at 1 percent very poor, 6 percent poor, 42 percent fair, 45 percent good, and 6 percent excellent.

Pasture & Livestock

Pasture condition is rated 1 percent very poor, 12 percent poor, 43 percent fair, 42 percent good, and 2 percent excellent. Hay supply is rated 5 percent short, 75 percent adequate, 20 percent surplus. Hay supplies are 95 percent adequate to surplus, compared to 56 percent adequate to surplus last year. Producers are still feeding hay in some areas as they await warmer temperatures to increase pasture growth. Stock water supplies are rated 2 percent short, 82 percent adequate, and 16 percent surplus.

Weather Summary

Average temperatures were 1 degree below average in the southern part of the State but normal to 3 degrees above average across the rest of the State. Rainfall averaged 0.44 inches with a range of 0.12 inches in the northeast district to 0.72 inches in the southeast district. Carroll, Phelps, New Madrid, and Pemiscot reported over an inch of precipitation, while Knox, Pike, Shelby, and Texas reported no precipitation.