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Missouri farmers wait as rains stall fieldwork

A farmer in west-central Missouri says the recent rains are delaying early planting, and while the moisture is needed, it’s heavier than expected.

“So far, we’ve had a little more than four inches since the start of the rains. We got a pretty big rain overnight.”

Jordan Bredehoeft says the moisture should help emergence with the corn and soybeans that were planted at the end of March.

“The only concern is some cold overnights ahead. We’ll see how everything handles that.”

Bredehoeft says the worst-case scenario with the cool down would be a replant situation.

“There’s probably 10 to 15 farmers around the county that did dabble in some beans or some corn. A lot of them were getting ready to get started, and then saw the rain and decided to hold off as well. I think everybody’s in a pretty good spot and will be ready to plant once it does dry up again.”

He says with saturated soils and cooler temps in the forecast, it could be another two weeks before planting resumes.