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Missouri corn emergence is at 66 percent, but a farmer says it’s uneven

Missouri corn planting is 90 percent complete. That’s 26 percentage points ahead of last year, cool weather is slowing development.

“I made the statement the other day, ‘it’s hard to think, in forty days it’s going to be tasseling,’” said Robert Alpers, who farms in Mid-Missouri.

The USDA says three-quarters of Missouri’s corn crop has emerged and it’s 66 percent good to excellent as of this past Sunday.

Alpers, from Prairie Home, Missouri, is hoping for warmer growing weather for the sake of his corn.

“It’s been slow coming up; emergence has been uneven,” Alpers told Brownfield Ag News. “Top end [yield], unfortunately I don’t think, is going to be there this year.”

Missouri soybean planting is 39 percent finished, 28 percentage points ahead of last year. Alpers, who is chairman of the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, needs a brief break in the weather to finish.

“We’re down to just a day or so left,” he said. “I don’t think that maybe will happen this week, but it sounds like we’re in a warming trend, so I think we’re going to get finished pretty shortly.”

Soybean emergence statewide is at 20 percent. Thirty percent of the state’s cotton crop is planted. That is 16 percentage points behind last year.

Missouri topsoil moisture is 99 percent adequate to surplus.