Inordinate rains will force some crop acreage replanting in Phillips County, says Robert Goodson, the county’s Cooperative Extension agent.
  “Maybe about 10,000 acres will have to replanted,” Goodson said Thursday.
  Most of the replanting will involve soybeans, Goodson said. “It’s a little late to replant corn.”
   Goodson’s latest crop report showed soybeans well out in front with 250,000 acres. Rice ranks second with 40,000 acres followed by corn with 20,000 acres.
   Cotton, once the premier crop in the Arkansas Delta, is way down with between 12,000 and 18,000 acres, Goodson reported. About 5,000 acres were planted to wheat and grain sorghum was dead last with no more than 2,000 acres.
  In 2008, farmers planted 218,514 acres of soybeans, 39,450 acres of corn, 20,970 acres of cotton, 34,877 acres of rice, 46,829 acres of wheat and 5,226 acres of grain sorghum.
  According to H. Scott Stiles, the University of Arkansas Extension economist, new crop prices for wheat have improved over 2008. As of April 29, average bids for June/July delivery to Memphis and Helena terminals were 65 cents under July 2009 futures. A year ago new crop bids averaged $1.35 under July 2008 futures.
   Average new crop corn prices were 35 cents under September 2009 futures. At the same time in 2008 August/September delivery bids were 45 cents under September 2008 futures.
   There is also year-over-year improvement in new crop soybean basis. On April 29, average bids for September/October 2009 delivery to Memphis and Helena were 25 to 30 cents under November 2009 futures. A year ago, average harvest delivery bids were 70 cents under November 2008 futures.