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Much-needed rains help MO corn and soybeans

A farmer in northeast Missouri says the recent rains are giving the corn and soybeans a good start.

Matt Wright from Marion County tells Brownfield the farm had under half an inch of rain over the weekend and he’s hoping for more.

“It would be nice to get a nice, gentle 1.5 inches of rain.”

Conditions were right for Missouri farmers to keep planting in the last week. USDA says 87 percent of corn is planted, with 63 percent emerged, with the crop rated 79 percent good to excellent. Nearly 60 percent of Missouri’s soybeans are planted, with 30 percent emerged.

Wright says some of the soybeans are just starting to emerge on his farm and corn has one of the best stands in the last six to eight years.

“We’ve got as good of potential for a really good yield as we’ve ever had.”

He says once the fields dry, he plans to finish soybean planting and then, consistent rains are needed throughout the growing season to make a good crop.

In southeast Missouri, cotton planting is 66 percent complete with 40 percent of the crop emerged. Rice planting is 86 percent complete with 68 percent of the crop emerged and conditions 87 percent good to excellent.

Missouri’s winter wheat conditions are 77 percent good to excellent and pasture conditions are 86 percent good to excellent.