Limited Progress In Missouri Crop Planting

Despite a drier than normal week, below-average temperatures continued to keep most Missouri planters in the barn.  The weekly USDA Crop Progress report indicates that the first one percent of Missouri corn and rice were planted in the past week.  This time a year ago, both crops were at seven percent planted.  Winter wheat progress stalled in the past week, remaining at one percent headed when last year the crop was three percent headed.  Conditions slipped one percent compared to the previous week, with 57 percent of wheat in good or excellent condition versus four percent poor or very poor.

Missouri’s pastures showed improvement in the past week, with 47 percent good or excellent against five percent poor.  Eight percent of Missouri farmers are believed to have a shortage of hay supply, compared to four percent with a surplus.  Eight percent have reported surpluses of stock water supply.  Over a fifth of Missouri topsoil and 12 percent of subsoil show an excess of moisture, compared to two percent of topsoil and nine percent of subsoil with a shortage.

0.59″ of precipitation fell across Missouri last week, 0.15″ below average.  Temperatures were 1.5 degrees below normal at 49.4 degrees.  2.1 days were suitable for fieldwork.