HERMANN, Mo. — On a sunny May day in East Central Missouri, the Missouri River bottom featured farmers doing a variety of work. Up and down the wide expanse of the bottom, planters and sprayers and tillage tools moved across fields, hurrying to get work done before the next rain.

The hot weather had dried the bottom ground to the point it was workable to plant.

MALTA BEND, Mo. — May 9 brought hot weather to central Missouri, which helped dry out fields, and by afternoon planters were stirring up dust across Saline County. Outside of Malta Bend, Monte Robertson had just finished planting a field of corn near the ethanol plant that was turning corn into biofuel.

“I’m real pleased with how it’s going,” he said of how the planting went.

LEETON, Mo. — A hot wind swept across Henry County as Rowland Slack checked on his equipment ahead of tilling and planting the next field. Even though it was just May 10, temperatures soared into the 90s. But the heat and wind were welcome to help dry out fields after weeks of only sporadic planting progress due to chilly and wet conditions.

After getting in the corn crop during the small planting windows that were available, Slack was moving on to soybeans.

SKIDMORE, Mo. — In Northwest Missouri, the second week of May brought hot weather and a flurry of activity in fields as farmers worked to catch up on planting after weather delays earlier in the spring.

Jason Hull, who farms in Nodaway County near Skidmore, said spring planting has been progressing slower than its normal pace.

LADDONIA, Mo. — On a late-April day in Audrain County, the sun was shining at last, and Matt Pound was getting spring planting started.

He was cultivating a field outside of Laddonia, his tractor working across the soil. Across the largely flat landscape, other neighboring farmers were just getting started as well, after cool, wet weather for much of April had delayed planting progress.

MERCER, Mo. — Up near the Iowa line, Mercer County farmer Gary Porter has had an on-and-off planting season, making progress as weather allows.

Porter, who serves on the board for the National Corn Growers Association, farms with family in multiple counties in northern Missouri and southern Iowa. This year’s planting has been a gradual process.