YANKTON - Some South Dakota farmers are battling soggy soil in an effort to complete their spring planting, and one victim will be small-grain yields, said Bob Hall, South Dakota State University crop specialist.

"We're about 25 percent behind in small grains," said Hall, who added that the state won't have much small-grain production this year because of the wet spring.

As for row crops, about one-fourth of the corn in the Bon Homme County area is in the ground, said Steve Sutera, Extension educator for Bon Homme County.

"Some guys have been able to get in and work their entire fields, and others had been working around wet spots. It depends on the area they're in," he said.

Last weekend's rainstorms caused erosion and seed washout, Sutera said.

"Another issue is soil crusting, which tends to happen as topsoil that has washed begins to dry out," he said.

If there's a good side to the storms, it's better that they happened now while it's still early enough for some farmers to start over, Sutera said. There's still time left to plant corn, but after May 15, farmers can lose nearly a bushel an acre on their yield for each late day, according to Sutera.

In another week, farmers can re-evaluate their planting plans, Sutera said. "If in two weeks we still can't get our corn in, then we'll have some decisions to make," he said.

By then, if farmers are still far behind, they'll have to decide whether to stick with corn and sacrifice yield or plant their acres in soybeans, which can be planted until mid-June, Sutera said.

Lower yields and high demand could mean higher prices, but the fuel cost is the driving force for the future of corn prices, experts said.

"Anything that affects the crops will affect pricing because everyone is speculating," Hall said.