Greenwood area farmers are scrambling to get their crops planted in advance of the next predicted round of stormy weather.
“It’s wide open, wide open,” said Andy Braswell, an agent with the Leflore County Extension Service. “There are a whole lot of soybeans and cotton going in.”
Although most farmers have finished planting corn, some are still waiting for fields to dry.
With sunny weather and daytime temperatures expected to be in the mid-80s through Thursday, farmers will be in the field a lot over the next two days.
“I’m going to say we have over half of our soybeans planted and we’re starting on cotton,” said Greenwood farmer Chris Bush.
If he’s lucky, Bush said, he might get as many as 1,000 acres of cotton planted in advance of Thursday night’s anticipated rough weather.
According to the National Weather Service, there is a strong chance of thunderstorms starting Thursday night and continuing through Saturday.
Jim Thomas of Cruger said he finished his corn planting for the year, but he’s got a lot more planting left to do.
“We’re planting cotton,” he said. “We’re sure glad to get this weather.”
Thomas said he’s planted about 35 percent of his cotton acreage, but the sequence is a turnaround from previous years because his cotton fields are drier than his soybean fields.
“This is the first year that we have not planted soybeans before cotton,” he said.
Rain has been a constant hindrance this spring.
“It’s been persistent,” said Thomas “It’s rain every three to five days,” he said.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
