Most of the Corn looks good, the exceptions being saturated and flooded areas.

This Wheat crop looks very promising. The only real concerns right now are disease pressure and once again, saturated areas of our fields. Wheat does not like wet feet.

Soybeans are emerging everywhere. Most of our early MG IV's are planted, now we are finishing our late IV's. There have been cases of soybeans being planted on fresh ground with no inoculant. Some of our new grain growers need to be reminded of the importance of inoculating their seed.

Cotton planting should crank up to full speed if we can manage to miss the rains forecast for this weekend. Before we start wishing the rain away, though, we need to remember where we were a year ago.

Rainfall amounts from 1-2.5 inches were common across most of the state Friday afternoon through Saturday night.

We will have to wait to see the full effects of these conditions on our seedling and emerging crops.

The Safe FEAST Act would impose new mandatory food safety requirements on farm and food companies domestically and abroad to identify and prevent potential sources of food-borne illness.

It aims to strengthen the relationship between federal and state agencies to better control food safety threats and gives FDA new powers to recall contaminated food in the case of adulteration.

Nathan Buehring, rice specialist at Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, Miss., said the state’s rice acreage has been expanding in recent weeks.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s initial planting intentions report released March 31 forecast Mississippi’s rice acreage to decline about 5 percent from last year; however, Buehring now believes that Mississippi growers will plant 10% more acres than in 2007.