One-Third Of Missouri Corn Fields Planted In Past Week

Significant, overdue progress was made in the past week by Missouri farmers to get this year’s crop in the ground. The weekly USDA Crop Progress report indicated that one-third of Missouri’s intended corn acreage for the year was planted in the past week, bringing the state’s completion rate to 65 percent. That’s still 14 points off the average and 17 points behind last year’s mark. 30 percent of the crop has emerged, 27 points behind the five-year average. Farmers stayed focused on corn planting, as just 12 percent of potential soybean acreage was planted last week to bring their progress to 19 percent. That’s nine points off the average pace and 15 points behind a year ago. Six percent of beans have emerged.

Cotton planting in the Bootheel remains in line with the average pace, with 47 percent planted. That is ten points off last year’s mark. Rice planting is 56 percent complete, 30 points behind a year ago and 18 points behind the five-year average. Just 15 percent of the crop has emerged, when normally 55 percent of rice has done so.

62 percent of winter wheat has headed, trailing last year’s pace by 15 points and the five-year average by 13 points. Crop conditions recovered from last week’s dip, with 65 percent rated good to excellent compared to five percent poor or very poor. The first 12 percent of alfalfa hay has been cut, along with two percent of other hay. Pasture conditions increased nine points in the past week to 69 percent good to excellent, versus three percent poor. That will come in useful for the nine percent of Missouri farms with reported shortages of hay supply; six percent of farms have a surplus. 14 percent of farms have a surplus of stock water, compared to just one percent with a shortage.

Just over five days were suitable for fieldwork last week, a welcome change from the past six weeks of below-average temperatures and above-average rainfall. Temperatures across the state averaged 13 degrees above normal at 76°F, while rainfall totaled just a quarter of an inch. One-sixth of Missouri topsoil and 11 percent of subsoil have a surplus of moisture, compared to one percent of topsoil and three percent of subsoil with a shortage.