During the past several weeks area farmers have planted most of their corn crop and many are now working to get their soybeans, the county’s largest cash crop, in the ground.

As of May 18, about 96 percent of the region’s corn crop had been planted and 82 percent has emerged, according to the most recent crop progress report from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistic’s Service.

Kansas farmers were ahead of the curve for this year’s corn planting season, heading into their fields in mid-April while much of the corn belt was still waiting out wintry weather. Farmers in the USDA’s Kansas east central district, which includes Douglas County, were even further ahead of much of the state.

With the early summer upon them, many farmers are starting to get their soybeans in now. About 30 percent of the soy crop was planted by the end of last week, according to the crop report.

Douglas county has more than 67,000 acres devoted to soybeans and about 31,500 acres to corn, according to the most recent USDA Ag Census.

Like most area farmers, Jerry Neis, who farms south of Eudora, has finished planting this year’s corn crop. At mid-week it was 3-4 inches tall, he said.

By Wednesday Neis had planted about two-thirds of his soybean crop and was working to get the rest in ahead of storms predicted for Thursday.

“Everybody’s going like gangbusters right now trying to get in before it rains,” Neis said.

Anthony Johansen, who farms on river bottom land near North Lawrence, also had his corn completely planted and planned to finish planting his soybean crop this week. “I’d say planting conditions are excellent,” he said.

For the most part the spring has brought enough water for the early stages of growth, and not so much as to keep farmers out of the field, as last year’s spring rains did.

“If it’s not too wet, it makes planting very easy,” said Bill Wood, director of Douglas County extension. “This time of the year, if we could get an inch once a week, that’d be pretty nice. It won’t be long before farmers could use more.”

Wood said plants in their early growing stage don’t require as much water as they do later on, when they have more leafy surface area. The pollination time is crucial, especially for corn, which usually pollinates in late June or early July and can be permanently harmed if the weather is too dry or too hot at the time.

“With corn you get one chance in the summer, and if it’s a bad week, you don’t have a crop,” Wood said.

With the county and most of the state still in prolonged drought — prompting Gov. Sam Brownback to declare a state of emergency this week — farmers are watching the skies carefully.

“I just hope it rains,” Neis said.