OTTUMWA — It’s crunch time for many area farmers, who keep hoping the rain will stay just long enough so they can get their crops planted.

Most corn crops should be planted no later than May 10, according to Iowa State University Extension Field Specialist Mark Carlton.

“After that day, farmers risk losing 1 percent of their yield per day,” he said.

Right now, soil temperatures are near 56 degrees — above the needed temperature for planting. But the problem, of course, is that farmers need drier conditions in order to get those crops in.

Farmers have had a couple of “windows” where they have had opportunities to plant some of their crops, but those have been too few.

Wapello County farmer Bruce Klyn said he was able to get about 100 acres of his corn crops planted within the past two weeks, but still has around 1,400 acres to go.

“We’re far from being done,” he said.

However, like several other farmers, he said he was late in planting his crops last year and the results yielded respectable numbers.

“Last year I didn’t get finished planting until around May 20,” he said. “I usually try and get all my crops planted before the 10th, but it doesn’t always work out that way.”

Mahaska County farmer Chet Mathes said he also had a respectable crop yields last year after planting later in the season.

“I’m not getting any later of a start than I did last year,” he said.

He has yet to plant any crops in 2008.

“We plan on starting on that tomorrow, weather permitting,” he said Thursday.

“If we get a rain [Thursday night] it will delay planting further. Even a quarter inch will eliminate everything that was accomplished [Thursday] with the sunny, windy weather. But it sounds like the showers that are possible may stay north; we could be OK here,” Carlton said.

Monroe County farmer Bob Henderson remains optimistic.