Fuente: CNBC
JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi farmers have watched vital planting time washed away by persistent rains and they are having trouble getting into the fields to salvage their crops or to decide if they need to replant, experts say.

Ernie Flint, an agronomist for the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said Wednesday the wet weather has already dimmed the prospects of a stellar planting season.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue this week throughout the South with planting of cotton, peanuts, and other summer crops continuing at a slower pace than last week.

“Were in trouble,” Flint said. “A lot of our corn has already been hurt as well as our soybeans. We know we are hurt already. We just dont know how bad.”

The USDA, in its weekly crop report, said 20 percent of corn and rice planted in Mississippi is rated in poor condition. About 15 percent of soybeans are rated poor with 39 percent of corn and soybeans in fair condition.

Flint said the rain has driven farmers out of the field and stopped MSU extension agents from assessing crop damage.

“Nobodys able to do anything of any consequence,” Flint said. “Therere a few people who are flying on fertilizers and herbicides. Today is clear, but the fields are just so wet and they wont support any kind of ground equipment.”

In the crop report, Richard Haye, extension agent for Amite County, said that “all harvest and planting operations have been suspended until we get through this wet spell.”

“We might get a break this weekend with some drier weather.”

Farmers only had three suitable days for field work last week, the report said. That was an improvement from prior weeks, however, and some crops already planted have responded favorably to the drier weather.

Flint said corn is beginning to show some signs of recovery, but farmers have not been able to plant the full amount of soybeans and cotton they intended to produce. Some farmers might have to switch crops, he said.

“We are right at the end of our normal window for planting cotton. Anything planted past this time is very risky,” Flint said. “Theyll probably switch to soybeans.”

The states cotton acreage was around 360,000 acres in 2008, down from 655,000 in 2007.

With the rain, Flint said he wouldnt be surprised if cotton acreage dropped to around 250,000 acres this year.

“We had a few people decide that they were going to go back and plant some cotton this year,” Flint said. “A good example is someone I worked with quite a bit who used to grow about a thousand acres. He hadnt had any in a few years and he said he was going to plant 400 acres this year, but hes only been able to plant 150 of that.”

Flint said most fields he visited Wednesday were in poor shape.

“Most of what Ive looked at so far today has needed some or all fields replanted,” he said. “Were going to have to redo what has already been done.”
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Fuente: CNBC – Englewood Cliffs – EE.UU.