Mississippi farmers have watched vital planting time washed away by persistent rains and are having trouble getting into the fields to salvage crops or decide if they need to replant.

Ernie Flint, an agronomist for the Mississippi State University Extension Service, says the wet weather has already dimmed the prospects of a stellar planting season.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also predicts scattered showers and thunderstorms to continue this week throughout the South with planting of cotton, peanuts, and other summer crops continuing at a slower pace than last week.

Flint says many farmers already know their fields are in poor shape, but the rain has stopped MSU extension agents from fully assessing crop damage.