VIDALIA, La. – Recent rains may benefit crops planted this spring by replenishing the moisture of the soil, but it’s bad for wheat that is in the fields now, said Concordia Parish farmers and farm experts.

So far this month, 3.59 inches of rain have fallen in the Miss-Lou, compared to 3.15 inches in an average January. That is bad news for farmers who planted wheat in late fall, said Concordia Parish County Agent Glen Daniels.

&uot;A wheat plant cannot tolerate excessive moisture,&uot; said Daniels, adding that wheat is usually harvested in May or June.

&uot;Last year, we had a wheat yield of 70 to 80 bushels an acre,&uot;&160;he added. &uot;This year, we could be looking at yields in the mid-20s to 35 bushels per acre.&uot;

Daniels also noted that some wheat planted in late November was further damaged by freezes.

Lee Bean, general manager of Angelina Plantation near Monterey, said he expects up to 600 out of 850 acres of wheat planted at that plantation to fail.

&uot;That’s not a lot out of 26,000 acres,&uot;&160;Bean said, referring to the total acreage Angelina plants with corn, rice, milo and soybeans as well as wheat. &uot;But as an enterprise, a loss like that hurts.

&uot;I’ve already lost a lot of it. We planted it just before we got a heavy rain, and a lot of wheat just didn’t come up,&uot; he added. &uot;It’s just sitting there. And that’s not just here — I haven’t seen really good wheat in this whole area.&uot;

Concordia Parish as a whole only has 6,000 to 7,000 acres of wheat planted this year, Daniels said. But given low crop prices, farmers need the best possible yields on the most crops.

Still, there may be a silver lining — in the form of increase soil moisture, which could be good news for crops planted this spring.

&uot;What is a curse now could be a blessing later,&uot; Bean said.