Ag Weather Forum

Very limited fieldwork in the eastern Midwest keeps corn and soybean planting progress at likely record-low levels.

With only one to two days available for fieldwork in the eastern Midwest last week, we are looking at significant amounts of corn that will not get planted, especially in the state of Ohio. Soybean planting is expected to continue for the next week or so, weather permitting. In the western Midwest, most crops have been planted, with the exception of South Dakota. Emergence is also delayed. Corn and soybean emergence rates in Iowa and Minnesota are running about two weeks behind normal. Corn and soybean ratings in the Midwest are the lowest since the drought year of 2012 due to wetness, not dryness.

Meanwhile, a weather pattern change, which was indicated since the middle part of last week, is developing. The blocking ridge pattern that has been so dominant over northern North America is moving into south-central Canada, and to a lesser extent the north-central U.S. At the same time, a low-pressure trough in the north-central U.S. is relocating south, and a new trough is forming off the U.S. East Coast. This will allow for a warmer and drier trend to form in the central U.S. This is a significant change, and should allow for crop ratings to improve.

In the Southern Plains, persistent wet and stormy conditions have finally brought on some deterioration in Oklahoma and Kansas winter wheat crop ratings. The wet pattern is notably disrupting harvest. Wheat harvest progress is running well behind normal, and is just barely underway in Kansas, when it should be over one-third done by now. The good news is that the weather pattern during the next week will feature near- to above-normal temperatures, and mostly below-normal rainfall. This should significantly improve harvest conditions.

Michael Palmerino can be reached at mike.palmerino@dtn.com

(AG)

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