R.T. Slack farms with family in Henry and Johnson counties in west-central Missouri. He says conditions are muddy heading into spring planting time. He grows corn and soybeans and also puts up some alfalfa hay.

Lots of corn was planted in March, but we have not turned off the tap since April 1. It’s all mud. Nothing but mud. And wind. It’s been pretty windy. We missed the storm here, but we always get the rain. I’ve lost track of the inches.

After 24 days of mud, we managed to find a drier spot in the county. It was none too dry, but we got 250 acres planted in one day. Woke up the next morning to more rain. Now it’s raining again. Another 2.25 inches and counting. We really need to save some for August. All those in favor say “aye.”

Finally it’s going to be dry enough to do something on Monday (May 4). Rain again on Tuesday. Missouri farming is living up to its name — misery! Wheat is pretty much headed out. Looks decent. Send warm temps — we need it.

We finally have some sunshine. With a little luck, maybe we can plant something this week.

There was a lot of corn and beans planted last week. More rain is coming, they say. Hopefully we’ll get another dry stretch soon to hammer these beans on out. Wheat is coming along. Some alfalfa got baled, too. Nice to finally get something done.

Another wet week on the record. Showers moved in Sunday night and hung around until Tuesday evening. Thursday afternoon added some light showers to keep the saturation present. Cooler weather has slowed crop growth slightly, but the countryside is getting greener and greener with new crop emergence. Sun and warmer temps are on the minds of most to get this crop moving upward at a faster pace.

Some corn looks good; some corn needs another shot of nitrogen. Beans are still chilling in the seed box. Wheat is starting to turn. It refuses to stop raining long enough to get anything accomplished. We replanted some corn last Thursday in mud, then started on beans. It started raining about the same time — 40 acres into it we were rained out again. Add another 2.75 inches to the 20-plus we’ve had since April 1. It’s really starting to get frustrating. A few guys around are trying to bale hay, but it’s not working out for them either. We need some dry weather.

It rains every day. The question is, how much? We did manage to plant about 500 acres in two days’ time. Just barely got it dry enough and ran with it. I’m so tired of rain; we are soaked again from rain today. Calling for rain all week. Wheat is getting really close. Starting to see a few weeds in it now. A lot of corn around here needs sprayed in the worst way. Still a lot of beans to plant, and I’m not positive we’ll ever get to replant the rest of the corn. Hay guys are itching to go, but no chance of that happening any time soon.

Rained again, and more rain coming. Looks like mud. Thats about all. I sound like a broken record.

Looks like mud once again. We did manage to mud some in last week and did find a couple dry spots, but that’s over after the last rain. Still waiting on mud. The hay guys are still waiting, too. The beans I planted in March look like I should have planted a lot more. They look like a million bucks.

It’s plenty warm and plenty wet, but we were able to sneak in and wrap up bean planting. Some will definitely have to be redone. Seems silly to have to rush to cash a crop insurance date, but rules are rules, and we all play by the rules. Wheat was way ahead of normal. We wrapped that up today, June 25. Just as we got the combines back in the barn, it started raining again. Go figure. All we can do is laugh — this year has been a real pain.

Finally we got the break we were looking for. We finished up planting beans and got some spraying done. I can’t begin to tell you how many bales of hay were born this week. Four balers were on fire in my neighborhood, including my own. Three of them were saved. So be sure to check those bearings. Crops are all looking pretty good after some heat brought some growth and good color.

After we wrapped up planting and got some hay put up, we got a couple pretty good rains. Funny how it rained all spring, and we really needed it. A few beans around still need sprayed. We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, just in time for the next big thing. The beauty of farming is there is never a lack for something to do.

The heat has finally arrived. Luckily we’ve been getting a few spotty showers. The early corn looks good, and the late corn is hanging on. Beans seem to be enjoying the heat and humidity, but they always do. Hopefully we can get hay finished up this week and move on to something more exciting. Grain price seemed to jump some this morning.

Rain has been a little spotty, but I managed to get a pretty nice shower. Most everything around here is looking decent. We had a couple days that felt cool, then the heat moved in. It’s not fit for man nor beast here in the State of Misery (Missouri).

Mother Nature won last week’s battle. Mowed hay that would never dry due to high humidity. They were calling for no rain from Sunday to Friday. It rained three times. I’m pretty sure the planter passed the baton to the hay rake. Every time I’d drag it across the field, it would rain. Still smiling though. I can waste a little hay to keep those crops growing. Corn is same as done. Beans are looking OK, but they are a long ways from the bin.

Everything is looking pretty good. Still impossible to bale hay — keeps raining even when they don’t have it in the forecast. That’s not a complaint, I promise you. Keep coming with the rain, and we'll send the grain.

We had a popup shower Saturday night that left us a half inch. I’ve found some insect problems in the beans and a few worms. Not real bad but need to keep an eye on it. Lot of silage being chopped, and one friend of mine started shelling corn last week. The early bird always catches a worm.

There has been a few guys sticking their beaks into some corn. It’s still too wet for me to deal with, so I’ll probably wait another week. With the spring we had, beans are all over the place — from just flowering to turning yellow, we've got it all. A few places the cockleburs are doing real good. With all the rain we've had the weeds are winning. I’ve always hated mowing the yard, but I figured if the yard needs mowed constantly, the crops are growing. I can’t wait to see what’s out there. It would be kind of depressing to have this tall lawn for nothing.

Hot and dry. There is a first time for everything: We could use a rain. Early beans are about a week away from cutting, and corn still above 20%. We'll get there.

We got 1.75 inches of rain on Labor Day morning. Sure made the beans happy and me a little less cranky.

This Labor Day week rain we had sure perked the beans up. A few beans are getting close to cutting, and a lot of corn is getting sheared off at the stump. Weather looks decent for a couple days, then more rain.

Rained enough to settle the dust. We cut a few beans; probably be back on corn by Tuesday. It’s about time to plant wheat. Seems like there is never a shortage of anything to do. I often wonder how people exist who don’t farm. With all that free time, they’re liable to get into mischief. Ha!

Harvest is coming along, but we have reached that far-too-familiar rainy stretch. I dumped an inch out of the gauge over the weekend. We’ve got a dry Monday, then it’s a water park for the rest of the week. Bring your floaties. Four to five inches on the way.

We had 3 inches of rain. Slowed us down a few days. Now we’re back at it full steam ahead.

The weather has been pretty good since the last rainy week. We've cut a lot of soybeans. I’ve seen a lot of corn leaving the field too. Looks like we've got more rain coming this week. Just have to do what we can and see if Mother Nature is satisfied with it.

After another rainout, it’s looking like we’ve got a good week ahead of us. Now that everything is ready at once, it’s hard to know where to start. Hopefully the weather cooperates and it’s a productive week for everyone.