Photo by Ryan Gladstone / St. Joseph News-Press

Mike Sipeshauls ammonia running gears on a wet, overcast Tuesday afternoon on Tom Heath’s Helena, Mo., farm. Mr. Heath said he has planted 30 percent of his corn and none of his bean crop. ‘I don’t think there is a yield reduction yet, but it is getting within a week or two,’ Mr. Heath said.

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April showers might bring May flowers, but May showers don’t bring much of anything.

At least not until farmers can get their crops in the ground.

A persistently cold and damp spring has pushed field work almost a month behind schedule for corn and soybean growers in Northwest Missouri.

Farmers such as Tom Heath of Helena, Mo., have struggled to plant between rainstorms. As soon as the ground starts to dry out, thunderheads pop up on the horizon and push tractors back into the shed.

“Usually we do our corn in the month of April, but right now it’s just about 30 percent done and we’re in the middle of May,” Mr. Heath said.

Like most farmers, Mr. Heath has yet to plant any soybeans.

Statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture show that the Missouri corn crop is nearly four weeks behind schedule, while only 5 percent of the soybean crop has been planted, two weeks behind the normal pace.

MFA Agri Services of St. Joseph fell behind in its fertilizer applications when winter weather extended into March. Now a wet spring has put a similar delay on efforts to spray fields with crop protection chemicals.

“As a general rule, we can go out to the fields about a day or two ahead of the farmers,” MFA manager Jim Veraguth said.

Even though spraying equipment can return to the fields after a rain before most tractors, companies like MFA still have to play a waiting game. Roughly 70 percent of MFA’s customers don’t spray their fields until planting is complete, Mr. Veraguth said.

Farmers have fallen behind, but not yet far enough behind to affect yields, according to Wayne Flanary, a regional agronomist for University of Missouri Extension in Holt County.

“The first priority right now is getting everything planted,” Mr. Flanary said. “With the technology we have now we can spray or fertilize later.”

A select few farmers with the right type of soil have finished their corn crop and are ready to move on to soybeans. Mr. Flanary said he had received phone calls from farmers who were concerned that it was still too cold to plant soybeans.

“I would encourage people to go ahead and start planting beans,” Mr. Flanary said. “I use the calendar date to tell us where we are in the season. Weather patterns can change all of a sudden, but the calendar historically shows us how far along we should be.”

Mr. Heath isn’t too worried about the calendar yet. In the past he has planted corn over Memorial Day weekend and even in the first week of June. He might not have to plant that late this year. There is a slight chance for rain today followed by a week of sunnier skies, St. Joe Now forecasted.

“That would be good for all of us,” Mr. Heath said.

Clinton Thomas can be reached

at clintonthomas@npgco.com.