One-Fifth Of Missouri Wheat Harvested; Corn Conditions Steady

Soybeans emerging in a field in eastern St Charles County, Missouri. (Photo by Kyle Hill, Alpha Ag Network)

One out of five Missouri wheat fields have already been harvested, while soybean planting is inching closer to completion. The weekly USDA Crop Progress report indicates that 21 percent of the state’s projected wheat harvest is out of the ground, 15 points ahead of normal and 19 points better than a year ago. 55 percent of the remaining crop is rated good to excellent, down two points from a week ago, with 11 percent rated poor or very poor. Meanwhile, soybean planting is 93 percent complete, 23 points ahead of last year and 22 points better than the five-year average. 86 percent of the crop has emerged. 45 percent of the crop is considered good to excellent, down three points on the week, while 17 percent is listed in poor or very poor shape. The corn crop showed modest improvement this week, with 47 percent in good to excellent shape versus 15 percent poor or very poor.

The Bootheel’s cotton remains on a fast pace, with 22 percent already squaring. This time a year ago, just four percent had reached this stage; the normal pace is nine -percent. Conditions were marginally lower, with 68 percent rated good to excellent against one percent poor. 57 percent of Missouri rice is rated good to excellent, down three points from last week; nine percent is in poor condition.

Pastures were unchanged from last week, with 47 percent experiencing poor or very poor conditions compared to just 20 percent in good shape. The first cutting of alfalfa is 85 percent complete, 28 points ahead of a year ago and 19 points better than average. 59 percent of other hay has also been cut. 63 percent of Missouri farmers report a shortage of hay supply, and 42 percent are also lacking adequate stockwater. Rainfall on average was 0.35″ below normal at 0.76″ last week. 63 percent of topsoil and 68 percent of subsoil were short on moisture, compared to just one percent of topsoil with a surplus. Temperatures were 0.4 degrees below normal at 70.5°F. Six days were suitable for fieldwork.