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Weather helps out harvest
Missouri Farmers were very active during the week ending Sept. 23, as mostly dry weather allowed for steady progress of corn, milo, and soybeans harvests, with winter wheat planting also underway in all districts according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Missouri Field Office, Sept. 24. In the Bootheel, the cotton and rice harvests continue to run well ahead of normal. The dry weather caused poor pasture conditions to slip further in most areas. Topsoil moisture rates 27 percent very short, 40 percent short, 32 percent adequate, and 1 percent surplus. There were 6.7 days suitable for fieldwork. Ninety-two percent of the corn crop is mature, the same as normal. Harvest is 57 percent complete, slightly ahead of last year and 3 days ahead of the five-year average of 50 percent. Progress ranges from 25 percent complete in the northwest to 95 percent in the southeast. Corn condition is rated 6 percent very poor, 13 percent poor, 28 percent fair, 39 percent good, and 14 percent excellent. Eighty-two percent of the soybean crop is turning color, with 52 percent dropping leaves, both slightly ahead of last year and average. Twenty-one percent is mature, the same as normal. Harvest is 7 percent complete, compared with 3 percent last year and 4 percent as the five-year average. Soybean condition is rated 11 percent very poor, 18 percent poor, 34 percent fair, 30 percent good, and 7 percent excellent. Sorghum turning color is at 89 percent, 9 days behind normal, while 58 percent is mature, 6 days behind average. Harvest is 22 percent complete, at least 5 days behind last year and normal. The southwest and south-central districts are 71 and 52 percentage points behind last year, although their harvest pace last year at this time was much faster than the state average. Sorghum condition is rated 3 percent very poor, 11 percent poor, 44 percent fair, 39 percent good, and 3 percent excellent. Rice harvest advanced 19 points to 64 percent complete, 6 days ahead of last year and 9 days ahead of normal. Cotton boll opening is virtually complete, finishing nearly 1 month ahead of last year and normal. Harvest is 39 percent complete, nearly 3 weeks ahead of last year and normal at 4 percent. Cotton condition is rated 9 percent very poor, 23 percent poor, 29 percent fair, 34 percent good, and 5 percent excellent. Pasture condition is rated 26 percent very poor, 25 percent poor, 33 percent fair, 14 percent good, and 2 percent excellent, a decline of 3 points in good to excellent. Conditions are especially poor in the eastern third of the state. The northeast district has 2 percent of its pasture rated good to excellent, while the east-central and southeast districts are rated 0 percent in those categories. Winter availability of hay and stock water supplies is a major concern in those areas, as well as some parts of the central and south-central districts. Date: 9/27/07
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