Eastern Cornbelt:
Summer weather lingered in the Eastern Cornbelt in mid-September, with highs reaching the 80s and low-90s in all three states. Spotty showers were possible in parts of Illinois as the week progressed, and also in northern Ohio by the weekend, but otherwise conditions were described as dry and ideal for harvest.
Harvest progress in the region was 5-7% complete for corn and 4-6% for soybeans at mid-month, with good or excellent ratings assigned to 72-77% of the acreage in Illinois, 63% in Indiana, and 39-40% in Ohio.
Western Cornbelt:
Highs in the mid- to upper-80s were common across the Western Cornbelt during the week, though strong storms pushed through central Missouri on Sept. 19, producing large hail and damaging winds in some locations. Severe storms were also expected in central and northern Iowa late in the week.
The corn harvest as of Sept. 15 had progressed to 25% complete in Missouri and 2-5% in Iowa and Nebraska, with good or excellent ratings assigned to 84% of the crop in Missouri, 77% in Iowa, and 68% in Nebraska. The regional soybean harvest was 1-4% complete by that date, with 65-77% of the acreage rated as good or excellent.
Nebraska growers also had 1% of the sorghum crop in the bin by mid-month, with 72% rated as good or excellent. Missouri’s rice harvest was 40% complete by Sept. 15.
Southern Plains:
Highs in the upper-80s and 90s were common across the Southern Plains during the week, with isolated thunderstorms tracking through eastern Kansas as the week progressed.
Oklahoma City was bracing for near-record heat into the weekend, with temperatures surging to the upper-90s and the heat index rising to 105 degrees. Similar conditions were reported across Texas, though slightly cooler weather was expected during the final week of September.
Patches of extreme-to-exceptional drought were reported in western Texas and southern New Mexico at mid-month, with severe-to-extreme drought conditions extending across northern Texas and central Oklahoma.
The drought was evident in crop ratings at mid-month. The corn harvest as of Sept. 15 was 80% complete in Texas and 26% in Kansas, with good or excellent ratings assigned to 41% of the crop in Texas, 38% in Kansas, and 34% in Colorado. The Kansas soybean crop was 51% good or excellent, while cotton in those two categories totaled 40% of the acreage in Kansas, 36% in Oklahoma, and just 28% in Texas.
Growers were also tackling the sorghum harvest, with progress rated at 81% complete in Texas, 18% in Oklahoma, and 5% in Kansas in mid-September. Oklahoma’s sorghum crop was 59% good or excellent, compared with 47% in Texas, 38% in Kansas, and 34% in Colorado.
South Central:
Summer heat continued to bake much of the South Central region, with highs reported in the low- to mid-90s during the week.
Conditions were also dry in much of the region after last week’s torrential rain from Hurricane Francine, which dropped 8-12 inches of rain in Louisiana and caused considerable crop damage from flooding and high winds.
The corn harvest as of Sept. 15 was tracking ahead of average at 46% complete in Tennessee and 33% in Kentucky, with 70% of Kentucky’s crop and 45% of Tennessee’s rated as good or excellent. The regional rice harvest was well advanced at 93% complete in Louisiana and Texas, 80% in Mississippi, and 68% in Arkansas.
The soybean harvest was 44-46% complete in Mississippi and Louisiana, 29% in Arkansas, 22% in Tennessee, and 11% in Kentucky by mid-September, with good or excellent ratings assigned to 73% of the crop in Louisiana, 66% in Arkansas, 61% in Mississippi, 56% in Kentucky, and 45% in Tennessee.
The regional cotton harvest was 1-6% complete by Sept. 15, with fully 81% of Louisiana’s crop rated as good or excellent, compared with 67% in Arkansas, 49% in Mississippi, and 47% in Tennessee.
Southeast:
Coastal areas of North Carolina were hit with historic rains on Sept. 16 as a powerful system churned through the area. Carolina Beach was under a state of emergency after 18 inches of rain fell in 12 hours, causing widespread flooding and power outages. Other areas registered more than a foot of rain, with rainfall rates exceeding 4-5 inches per hour in some locations.
While North Carolina battled record rainfall, drought ranging from moderate to severe continued to cover most of Georgia, northern Alabama, and central South Carolina at mid-month. Temperatures in the mid- to upper-80s were expected as the week advanced, down from highs in the 90s at mid-month.
North Carolina’s corn was 47% harvested by Sept. 15, with just 12% of the crop rated as good and fully 77% falling in the poor or very poor categories. Soybeans in the state were 46% good or excellent, with 1% of the crop harvested by mid-month.
The regional cotton harvest was just getting started, with good or excellent ratings assigned to 74% of the crop in North Carolina, 65% in Virginia, 53% in Georgia, 52% in South Carolina, and 49% in Alabama. The peanut harvest was 8% complete in Florida and 1-3% in the rest of the Southeast, with 85% of Virginia’s crop rated as good or excellent, compared with 81% in North Carolina, 61% in Alabama, 59% in South Carolina, and 57% in Georgia and Florida.