Mississippi farmers saw vital planting time washed away by persistent spring showers and now they're in desperate need of rain.

Experts say the wet weather that kept farmers out of the field already had dimmed the prospects of a stellar planting season. Since that time, the rain has been replaced with heat and dry conditions as grain crops, especially corn, have hit a critical period.

An agronomist for the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Ernie Flint, says there are people in his area who haven't had a measurable rain in almost two months. Flint is a farm extension agent for Carroll and Attala counties.

With most corn already through the germination and seedling and reproductive stages, farmers need rain for the crop to complete its kernel development.