The past couple of days of rain have been a blessing to crops after a lengthy dry spell, according to agricultural observers.
“It has helped for the most part, definitely,” said Jerry Singleton, an agent with the Leflore County Extension Service. “Most of the guys that have irrigation systems have turned them off.”
According to Brad Bryant, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, about 2.75 inches had fallen from July 6 through Thursday afternoon.
Bryant said there’s a good possibility of an additional 1 to 2 inches by Tuesday.
Singleton said rain has been sporadic in the county and most crops, including corn, still need vast amounts of water. He said some farmers might begin harvesting corn as early as next week.
Such corn would likely have a moisture content of 25 percent, requiring farmers to place it in grain bins for drying. Other farmers will likely hold off on harvesting until later this month or early August in order to get the moisture content down to 15 percent.
George Jeffords, who manages farming for Tommy Gary, said the wet weather won’t pose a problem.
“We’re far away from harvesting, so that’s not a problem. There are still a lot of guys needing a good rain,” he said.
Jeffords said his operation has completed its “water cycle” for the week and no further irrigation is planned.
He said early-maturing Group 3 soybean varieties will likely be harvested later this month and Group 4 soybeans will be harvested in late August or early September.
The overcast skies and lower daytime and nighttime temperatures are a welcome surprise for the middle of July, he said Wednesday.
Farmer Ricky Belk of Glendora said he’s already finished harvesting some of his early corn.
Asked about the rain’s effect on his peanut crop, Belk said, “We needed the rain. We also need to be putting out some fungicide. I think the rain is worth more.”
He said rain has been spotty, but he’s optimistic.
“Maybe we’ll get a rain everywhere this week,” he said.
Fellow peanut farmer William Dunn said the rain and cooler temperatures have helped his operation. He said if everything goes right, the peanut harvest will take place in October and November.
Singleton said rainfall seems to have a greater benefit than irrigation.
“It seems like the rainfall soaks deeper into the soil profile than irrigation. We don’t know why,” he said.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
