SIKESTON -- With nearly 5 inches of rain already recorded this month in Sikeston, local farmers are having a tough time getting corn planted.
More rain is expected today and Saturday.
"Farmers are just waiting for it to dry out," said Richard DeLoughery, University of Missouri Extension specialist in Charleston.
Wet soil continues to thwart farmers' attempts to get into the field across most of Missouri, according to reports from MU Extension's weekly agronomy teleconference on Tuesday.
According to the USDA crop progress report released Monday, only 8 percent of the corn crop is in the ground, compared to 24 percent this time last year and a five-year average of 30 percent.
Planting is 22 percent complete in southwestern Missouri, but only 3 percent complete in south central fields and 4 percent in the northwest.
Bill Wiebold, MU Extension crop specialist, said wetness in Southeast Missouri may cause some yield loss for corn. However, farmers in central and northern Missouri should experience little or no yield loss unless planting is delayed past May 1.
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