A mix of weather patterns across the US Corn Belt is impacting planting progress and early crop development.
Climatologist Brian Fuchs with the National Drought Mitigation Center says drought conditions have improved in many parts of the Western Corn Belt. “Pivots were going on planted fields just to get some moisture into those seeds so they could germinate and emerge over last week or so. This pattern change has been helpful and even the cooler temperatures – we had some 90 degree weather just a couple weeks ago and we don’t want to see that early in May.”
He tells Brownfield some farmers in the Eastern Corn Belt have struggled to plant due to excessive rainfall, but pockets of dryness are starting to develop. “Portions of Illinois, southern Wisconsin, northern Indiana, northeastern Missouri – we’re kind of really watching that corridor. They just haven’t seen as much precipitation as their neighbors have. We’re not seeing too many issues to worry about. It looks like most of the crop got in the ground ok out there.”
But, Fuchs says, the Delta region is a different story. “We haven’t seen much of any dryness in several months. There’s too much water in several places.”
Fuchs says short term weather outlooks show similar forecast for the regions, but there could be some improvement early next month.
