Eastern Cornbelt:
Unseasonably warm, dry weather persisted through much of the Eastern Cornbelt during the last week of September. Those conditions were ideal for the corn and soybean harvests, which were tracking near the average pace for this time of year.
Highs across Illinois and Indiana pushed into the mid-80s during the week, with lows in the 50s and 60s. Northern Ohio enjoyed highs in the upper-60s and 70s, with lows dropping to the mid-40s. Much of the region was expecting a gradual cooldown over the weekend, with a higher chance of rain in many locations.
The corn harvest as of Sept. 26 had progressed to 21 percent complete in Illinois, 15 percent in Indiana, and 6 percent in Ohio, with good or excellent ratings assigned to fully 70-75 percent of the regional crop. The soybean harvest was 13 percent complete in Indiana, 10 percent in Illinois, and 5 percent in Ohio, with 66-72 percent of the crop rated as good or excellent.
Sources reported some fertilizer application taking place ahead of winter wheat planting in late September. USDA reported that 11 percent of the Indiana wheat crop was planted by Sept. 26, compared with 5 percent in Ohio and 2 percent in Illinois.
Western Cornbelt:
Summer-like weather was reported in Iowa during the week, with highs reaching the upper-80s across much of the state. The heat sparked a number of thunderstorms as the week progressed, however.
Nebraska was also bracing for spotty showers later in the week, with highs topping out in the 60s and 70s across the state. Temperatures in central Missouri soared to the low-90s early in the week, creating ideal harvest conditions in late September.
The corn harvest as of Sept. 26 was reported at 34 percent complete in Missouri, 13 percent in Nebraska, and 9 percent in Iowa, with the soybean harvest estimated at 18 percent complete in Iowa, 17 percent in Nebraska, and 5 percent in Missouri. USDA placed 70-71 percent of Nebraska’s corn and soybeans in the good or excellent categories in late September, compared with 64-67 percent in Missouri and 59-62 percent in Iowa.
Missouri growers also had 38 percent of the rice harvested by Sept. 26, with the Nebraska sorghum harvest estimated at 11 percent complete by that date. Some 47 percent of Nebraska’s sorghum was rated as good or excellent, along with 69 percent of Missouri’s cotton crop.
Northern Plains:
Unseasonably hot, dry weather continued across the Dakotas in late September, with Hazen, N.D., posting a record 100 degrees on Sept. 28. Highs in the 70s and 80s were reported in Minnesota during the week, although showers and slightly cooler weather was on tap for some areas later in the week.
Most of North Dakota and northern Minnesota continued to experience severe-to-extreme drought in late September. Drought conditions had improved in eastern South Dakota, but the western half of the state remained in moderate-to-extreme drought.
Growers had 11-13 percent of the sugar beets and 2 percent of the sunflowers harvested in the Northern Plains by Sept. 26, with South Dakota’s sorghum harvest rated at 18 percent complete.
The corn harvest had progressed to 9-10 percent complete in the Northern Plains by Sept. 26, with the soybean harvest estimated at 30 percent in Minnesota, 26 percent in North Dakota, and 17 percent in South Dakota. All three states were tracking ahead of their five-year averages for both crops, with good or excellent ratings assigned to 35-38 percent of the corn and beans in Minnesota, 23-24 percent in South Dakota, and just 16-17 percent in North Dakota.
More telling was the percentage of corn and soybeans rated as poor or very poor, which totaled 26 percent of the acreage in Minnesota and 36-43 percent in the Dakotas. Fully 52 percent of South Dakota’s sorghum crop fell in the poor or very poor categories in late September.
Northeast:
Much cooler weather moved into the Northeast during the last week of September, with lows dropping to the 30s and highs topping out in the 50s and 60s in New England. The previous weekend brought strong thunderstorms to parts of New England, with reports of up to two inches of rain falling in western Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont.
A cold front also moved through Pennsylvania and Maryland during the week, sparking thunderstorms in both states. Local reports talked of potentially damaging winds and hail in some locations on Sept. 28.
Pennsylvania growers had 2 percent of the corn in the bin by Sept. 26, trailing the five-year average of 11 percent. Crop conditions continued to be described as exceptional, however, with fully 86 percent of the acreage rated as good or excellent in the state.
Eastern Canada:
A number of slow-moving systems brought periods of rain and much cooler weather to the Maritimes during the week, while Ontario was struggling to dry out after some of the heaviest precipitation of the year on Sept. 21-23.
A pair of weather systems pounded southern Ontario with 50-100 mm of rain and strong winds during the previous week, causing localized flooding and contributing to widespread power outages. Heavy rain and colder weather was also reported in the Maritimes on Sept. 28-30, with parts of Nova Scotia collecting 30-50 mm and northern New Brunswick registering below-freezing temperatures at midweek.
The heavy moisture stalled some early harvest activity on southern Ontario. “Harvest is underway, but came to a big halt in a lot of places last week due to over six inches of rain in one day,” said one contact. “Checking in with our guys in the southern part of the province, beans are estimated to be 20 percent complete with a fairly good yield of 50-70 bushels/acre. They have also started scratching at the corn, with moisture around 20 percent.”