Eastern Cornbelt:
Much of the Eastern Cornbelt enjoyed cooler temperatures and lower humidity during the week, with highs reported in the 70s. Highs were expected to return to the mid- to upper-80s late in the week.
The week also brought scattered thunderstorms to parts of the Eastern Cornbelt. A series of strong storms blew through northern Illinois and northwestern Indiana on Sept. 7, producing 70-mph wind gusts and large hail in some locations.
Fully 30 percent of the Illinois corn crop was mature by Sept. 5, USDA reported, compared with 10-15 percent in Ohio and Indiana. Good or excellent ratings were assigned to 67-72 percent of the regional corn crop on that date, along with 64-67 percent of the soybeans.
“We have not started any harvest yet in our area,” commented one regional contact at midweek. “I would expect we are about two weeks out yet for soybeans, and just about ready to start chopping silage in our area.”
Western Cornbelt:
Mild temperatures and dry weather across much of the Western Cornbelt were gradually replaced by heat and humidity as the week progressed, with highs expected to climb back into the upper-80s by the weekend.
Those conditions benefited crop maturation in the region. Fully 31 percent of Missouri’s corn was mature by Sept. 5, along with 14-18 percent of the acreage in Iowa and Nebraska. USDA placed 64-67 percent of Nebraska’s corn and soybeans in the good or excellent categories on that date, compared with 60-64 percent in Iowa and Missouri.
Missouri’s rice crop was 6 percent harvested by Sept. 5, with 59 percent of the acreage rated as good or excellent. As for other crops, Missouri’s cotton was 69 percent good or excellent and Nebraska’s sorghum was 51 percent good or excellent by that date.
Northern Plains:
Drought conditions were easing somewhat in southern Minnesota, helped by a series of strong storms that prompted spotty flooding warnings in the state in late August.
Conditions remained critically dry in northern Minnesota and much of North Dakota, however, with wide areas of extreme-to-exceptional drought reported in both locations on Sept. 9. Much of South Dakota also remained in some form of drought in early September, with the worst conditions reported in the northwestern and north-central areas of the state.
The hot, dry summer has accelerated crop development in the Northern Plains, but crop quality continues to suffer. The small grains harvest was 93-100 percent complete in the region as of Sept. 5, with 18 percent of the corn described as mature in Minnesota and South Dakota by that date, compared with 12 percent in North Dakota.
USDA rated just 16-18 percent of North Dakota’s corn and soybeans as good or excellent on Sept. 5, compared with 22-23 percent in South Dakota and 34-37 percent in Minnesota. Corn and soybeans in the poor or very poor categories totaled 40-45 percent of the acreage in the Dakotas, compared with 26 percent in Minnesota.
“We’ll have an early harvest, so we should see decent fertilizer demand for fall,” said one regional contact. “It still depends on weather, but we got some good moisture in August that will allow for good fall tillage.”
Great Lakes:
A line of strong thunderstorms surged through Wisconsin and Michigan on Sept. 7, producing large hail and damaging winds and causing widespread power outages.
Baseball-sized hail was reported in several central and eastern Wisconsin counties on Tuesday, along with heavy rain and strong winds. The same line of storms battered Michigan later that evening, with reports of quarter-sized hail and damaging winds that caused power outages across a wide swath of the state. Flooding was also reported in some Michigan locations due to torrential rains from the storms.
Sources continued to report generally favorable crop conditions in the Great Lakes region in early September. Roughly 5-7 percent of the regional corn crop was mature by Sept. 5, according to USDA, with 70-75 percent of the acreage rated as good or excellent. Soybeans in the good or excellent categories totaled 74 percent of the acreage in Wisconsin and 64 percent in Michigan.
Northeast:
Parts of the Northeast continued to deal with the aftermath of severe weather spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in early September. The storm caused widespread flooding across central and southern New England on Sept. 1-2, with some areas receiving more than seven inches of rain. Gusty winds and numerous tornadoes were also reported.
Some areas were expecting more severe weather during the week. Central Pennsylvania was bracing for strong thunderstorms late on Sept. 8, with forecasts warning of damaging winds and heavy rain. A coastal flood advisory was also in effect at midweek in parts of Maryland due to severe thunderstorms, with forecasts warning of up to six inches of rain in some locations.
Crop conditions continued to be described in favorable terms across much of the Northeast, thanks to plenty of heat and moisture. As of Sept. 5, fully 86 percent of Pennsylvania’s corn was rated as good or excellent, with just one percent of the crop described as mature.