Bob Priddy talks toJohn Hagler 3:23

All this rain Missouri has been getting is more than a mere inconvenience for thousands of people whose livelihoods are getting more uncertain with each wet day.Farmers can’t get their corn and beans out of the fields if they can’t get their equipment in…and rains that have set records for October in many areas are keeping farmers at home and their equipment in the sheds.

State agriculture director Jon Hagler says farmers are frustrated because they think their yields will be good but they can’t get to the crops… He says corn, beans, and cotton are waiting in soaked fields for a few dry days so farmers can get to them. Hagler says rot can become a factor if Missouri doesn’t get some dry days.

If there is a bright spot in all this, it is that there should be plenty of soil moisture through the winter and into spring.

Hagler worries the crop forecasts for high yields won’t hold if Missouri doesn’t get some dry weather.

Although he worries about the economic impact of crop losses if the fields stay wet, he says the diversity of Missouri’s agricultural industry will keep Missouri from being hit as hard as states that rely on a less diverse crop lineup.