Above normal temperatures and no rain is drying out topsoil at a rapid pace.

Over 80 percent of Washington County corn is planted and up. Some watermelons have runners 24 to 30 inches long.

Lack of soil moisture is stopping field preparation for planting cotton and peanuts. Weed pressure has started early with pig weed and lambsquarters already six to eight inches tall in fallow areas.

There is a major concern about the high potential of cases of EEE and West Nile virus outbreaks with the huge population of mosquitoes this early in the year. Producers should start vaccinating equine animals as soon as practical and repeat again in mid-summer with such a high disease potential this year.

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