Widespread rains across Missouri are delaying fieldwork, helping activate pre-emergence herbicides and providing much-needed moisture for fields.
Drew Lock farms in southern Adair and northern Macon Counties.
“I have all my fertilizer on. I’ve got all the anhydrous applied, did most of that last fall. We’re hooked up, just kind of waiting to go, but I’m not worried, we’re still early.”
In St. Charles County, farmer Jim Boerding says his farm didn’t need the rain, and he would have liked to start planting corn and soybeans by now.
“Conditions were great. I think planting would have been working perfectly if we wouldn’t have gotten the rain, but it will dry out sooner or later.”
Jay Fischer in Callaway County says the more than 1.5 inches of rain that fell heading into Wednesday was much appreciated.
“I was sure hoping we would get a rain just so we could get even germination on our corn. I was a little concerned.”
Patrick Seyer farms in Stoddard and Cape Girardeau Counties, and is the chairman of the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council. He says some farmers have stopped planting corn and rice, or are holding off, waiting on rains.
“Some of our lighter soils, we’re actually at the verge of not having any moisture. So some of the heavier soils, we’ve still got good moisture. We’re probably going to move to them for a couple of days (to plant) or for a day anyway. We may wait and take Easter weekend off actually.”
Rain is in the forecast through Saturday across much of Missouri, but Seyer says he’s not optimistic his farm will get more than one inch of rain.
Lock and Boerding say they expect a little more than one inch of moisture, and Fischer says there could several inches of rain in the next few days.
