Kansas farmers have planted 3 percent of their planned corn crop, well behind both the 16 percent planted by mid-April in 2012 and the 10 percent average for this time frame, according to the Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service.
Topsoil moisture is improving in areas that have received significant rain or snow, but more precipitation is needed to have an impact on subsoil moisture, said the agency. Subsoil moisture is short to very short across 73 percent of the state, while topsoil moisture is short to very short in 40 percent of Kansas.