Eastern Cornbelt:
Most of the Eastern Cornbelt enjoyed cooler weather during the week. After some spotty showers earlier in the week, temperatures across central Indiana rose to the upper-70s and low-80s, with similar seasonal highs reported in Illinois.
Much of Ohio experienced dry, cool weather during the week, with rain expected by the weekend. An increased chance of rain was also expected in parts of Illinois and Indiana over the Labor Day weekend.
USDA reported that 8 percent of Indiana’s corn crop was mature by Aug. 29, compared with 3-4 percent in the rest of the region. Good or excellent ratings were assigned to 70-71 percent of the corn and soybeans in Illinois, compared with 68-77 percent in Ohio and 66-69 percent in Indiana.
Western Cornbelt:
Frequent thunderstorms were reported in Iowa during the week, with daytime highs climbing to the low- to mid-80s. Strong winds and heavy rain also hammered parts of Nebraska early in the week, with reports of 4-7 inches of rain and 60-70 mph wind gusts in some eastern areas of the state.
Missouri was also bracing for potentially heavy precipitation late in the week. A slow moving cold front was expected to bring several rounds of thunderstorms to the Kansas City and St. Joseph areas on Sept. 3, with two inches or more of rain possible into the Labor Day weekend.
The regional corn crop was 11 percent mature in Missouri by Aug. 29, compared with 8 percent in Nebraska and 6 percent in Iowa. USDA rated 58-60 percent of the corn and soybeans in Iowa as good or excellent, compared with 59-63 percent in Missouri and 67-69 percent in Nebraska.
Missouri’s rice crop was 5 percent harvested by Aug. 29, with 65 percent of the acreage rated as good or excellent. Good or excellent ratings were also assigned to fully 71 percent of Missouri’s cotton crop in late August, while Nebraska’s sorghum crop slipped to 48 percent good or excellent, with 2 percent of the crop rated as mature.
California:
Cooler and calmer weather conditions earlier in the week helped firefighters keep the Caldor Fire from destroying communities on the south end of Lake Tahoe. Forecasts warned of strong winds as the week advanced, however, which could threaten more communities in the California-Nevada alpine region.
More than 15,000 firefighters were battling to contain the Caldor, Monument, and Dixie Fires in early September, as well as numerous other smaller wildfires in the state. Wildfires have already burned nearly 1.8 million acres in California this year, according to Cal Fire. Those blazes have destroyed nearly 3,000 structures.
The historic fire season has been fueled by worsening drought conditions in the state. Nearly all of California is now experiencing extreme-to-exceptional drought, the most severe drought categories, according to the Sept. 2 U.S. Drought Monitor.
Fertilizer industry sources reported minimal interest in pricing and buying in early September. “There is still a lot of smoke,” commented one source. “Most are occupied on harvest. It has really been quiet on fertilizer here.”
Pacific Northwest:
Warm, smoky weather was reported across much of the Pacific Northwest during the first days of September. Highs in the 80s were common in coastal areas of Oregon and Washington at midweek, with temperatures expected to reach into the 90s in the Willamette Valley by the Labor Day weekend.
Boise, Idaho, posted its hottest June 1-Aug. 31 period on record, with an average temperature of 78 degrees, up from the previous record of 76.6 degrees set in 2015. The hot, dry weather accelerated the harvest of small grains in the region.
The spring wheat and barley harvest as of Aug. 29 was 95 percent complete in Washington, some 24-25 points ahead of the average pace. Harvest progress was rated at 86-88 percent complete in Idaho and 79-85 percent in Montana, with both states tracking well ahead of their five-year averages.
Western Canada:
Strong storms churned through the Prairies at midweek, bringing torrential rainfall, intense winds, hail, and localized flooding to parts of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan on Aug. 31. The rain also hit parts of British Columbia, helping firefighters who are battling a total of 224 wildfires across the province.
The storm threat expanded on Sept. 1 to areas stretching from northeastern Alberta into southwestern Manitoba, with reports of spotty crop damage in southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba.
Cereal harvest was wrapping up in the region, with reports of highly variable yields. Roughly 17 percent of Alberta’s crops were in the bin as of Aug. 27, well ahead of the average pace, with peas leading the charge at 72 percent harvested, followed by barley at 23 percent and spring wheat at 15 percent.
Saskatchewan growers had 36 percent of the crop in the bin as of Sept. 2, well ahead of the 22 percent five-year average. Saskatchewan’s harvest had progressed to 99 percent complete for winter wheat, 83 percent for fall rye, 85 percent for lentils, 84 percent for field peas, 57 percent for mustard, 40 percent for durum, 11 percent for chickpeas, 36 percent for spring wheat, and 11 percent for canola. Yields are reported to be far lower than average in many parts of the province.
In Manitoba as of Aug. 30, the harvest schedule had progressed to 100 percent complete on winter wheat and fall rye, 98 percent on field peas, 78 percent on barley, 70 percent on oats, 69 percent on spring wheat, 7 percent on canola, and 3 percent on flax.