Corn, rice, soybean and cotton producers throughout the state are planting, and replanting, to get the growing season going.
But Mother Nature doesn’t seem to want to cooperate this year.
Gene Danekas is the director of the USDA statistic service in Missouri. He says the financial implications of replanting — and a late harvest — are hard to predict right now, but farmers are already taking a financial hit because of the cost of fuel, seed and fertilizer the second, and sometimes third time around.
And Danekas says with planting delayed, a hot, dry August could be detrimental to young crops.
Farmers are hopeful their late crops will be successful … and that the weather will cooperate for the rest of the growing season.
Danekas says last year’s mild summer meant those late crops did well, but for now, farmers need some "open weather," where the soil is workable and crops can take off.