Corn going into ground soon as 2008 planting gets started
"It looks at lot better than it did last year at this time," - Bob Little Rice Farmers Co-Op
By BRENDA SOMMER bsommer@leader-news.com

It's so far, so good, soil-wise as farmers wait for a stretch of drier weather to start putting in this season's crops.

Peter McGuill, Texas AgriLife Extension agricultural agent for Wharton County, said farmers are very close to planting corn, the first crop that goes into the ground here each year.

"Right now, some are waiting for fields to dry so they can finish fertilizing, if they haven't done so yet, and waiting on warmer soil temperatures," he said. "Closer toward the end of the month, there will be planters in the fields and we'll be getting corn in the ground."

He said the other major Wharton County crops go into the ground in mid- to late March or even in the first part of April.

"That's when you plant sorghum, and the same with soybeans and cotton, about that same time as well," he said.

Bob Little, general manager at the Rice Farmers Co-op, said some rice farmers will try to start planting as early as the first of March, but most plant between March 10 and April 15.

"It looks a lot better than it did last year at this time," he said. "The price of rice has gone up quite a bit, but it needs to come up some more. The input costs are extremely high: the cost of fertilizer and fuel. So I don't believe you'll see an increase in acres."

McGuill said winter rains did their job this year. "We have a full profile of soil moisture, so we're looking really good going into planting," he said.

High commodity prices, which shot up due to the demand for corn and oth- other crops used to make biofuels, should help ease the hard hit farmers took when fuel and fertilizer costs went through the roof last year.

"All the commodities are still strong, price-wise," he said. "The bottom hasn't fallen out of anything, so we're looking good."