The week ending May 24 had good and bad news for farmers in the Volunteer State, according to NASS in its weekly report on crop progress. The good news was: It rained. The bad news was: It rained.

The return of rain after dry weather was good for some crops that benefited from the moisture; however, it caught off-guard some farmers who hadn’t finished planting and who still had hay on the ground, the report states.

"Corn planting completed. Grain sorghum planting completed. Cotton planting completed. Wheat progressing well. Ten days of good, dry weather progressed all planting at a rapid pace," reported Tim Campbell, extension agent for Dyer County.

"Producers are going to be faced with weed clean-up issues from burndown applications and pre-emerge applications due to so much rainfall the last several days, and being too wet to get into fields to spray. Most producers waiting now to get busy planting more soybeans, and anticipating wheat harvest in a few weeks."

"The farmers in Fayette County dealt with more rains and wet conditions for the majority of the week. Many got some planting done on Saturday and Sunday, but more rain moved in Sunday night. Rains are expected for the upcoming week. Crops look good but so do some weeds in those fields," county agent Jeff Via said.

"Many cotton producers are facing replant decisions after a 4-plus-inch rain event. Forage crops are looking great, with many producers beginning to harvest hay," reported Walter Battle, Haywood County agent.

Farmers had almost all of headed winter wheat and corn done, with the majority of the crops rated in good to excellent condition. In addition, 42 percent of soybeans and 70 percent of the cotton crop were planted during the week, according to NASS.

The week was a good one for greenhouse tomato farmers who continued harvesting. The plants showed little to no insects or disease.

Farmers had 3.4 days of suitable fieldwork that week. Across the state, topsoil moisture was 1 percent very short, 16 percent short, 57 percent adequate and 26 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels were 14 percent short, 70 percent adequate and 16 percent surplus.