April 24, 2007

Corn planting ahead of schedule in US state Mississippi

The state's farmers are ahead of schedule in planting this year's corn, said an economist at Mississippi State University's agriculture department.

John Anderson said the "extremely good weather" in March prompted many farmers to get a jump on their planting. However, he added, the lack of rain at the end of March and the cold weather in April slowed things down a bit.

Nationally, there is much talk about corn plantings being behind schedule in the Midwest due to the cool, wet weather. However, Anderson told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal he thinks it's "premature to call anything late at this point".

"There's still plenty of time to get a good crop in," Anderson told the Tupelo-based newspaper.

He said the market is closely following the planting schedules because corn is in high demand due to escalating ethanol production for use as an alternative fuel source. If planting is delayed, the yield potential for the crop is reduced.

"The market wants to see a big yield," he said. "If we don't get a big yield, there will be a continued tight supply."

The other reason the market is concerned is because of an ongoing battle for acreage between soybeans and corn. He said if farmers delay in planting their corn crops, they can opt to plant soybeans instead because soybeans are usually planted later in the year.