Most of Mississippi’s corn and rice crops had been harvested when prolonged, late-September rains soaked much of the state, but the wet weather could not have come at a worse time for soybeans and cotton.

Grain sorghum has never been a major agricultural commodity in Mississippi, but it has seen better days: For two years in a row, acreage of the crop has been less than one-tenth of its annual average.

PITTSBORO, Miss. -- Emergency responders and farmers will learn grain bin safety practices and rescue procedures during two workshops on April 17.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service is hosting the grain bin rescue training programs at the Calhoun County Extension Office. Both programs are coordinated with the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.

Training for producers and farm laborers will be held from 2-4 p.m. Agricultural workers will learn preliminary steps to take when someone gets trapped in a grain bin.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi’s grain sorghum acreage is at an historic low, and market prices are not much better, but yields should be good.

Erick Larson, grain crops specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said that when market incentives went away after 2015, so did farmers’ desire to plant grain sorghum, also known as milo. State growers may have planted 10,000 acres this year, the fewest since record keeping began in 1929.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi’s row crops have had enough rain, and most fields just need sunshine.

Erick Larson, grain crops specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said corn is mature and will gain no benefit from additional moisture. In the first couple of weeks of August, skies were overcast or rain was falling across most of the state.