Eastern Cornbelt:
Showers produced heavy rain in parts of northern Illinois on Aug. 7, prompting flash flood warnings for certain areas. Slightly cooler temperatures followed and extended down into central and southern Illinois as well.
Moderate to heavy rainfall also drenched portions of central Indiana on Aug. 9-10, resulting in a hazardous weather outlook and a flood advisory for some locations. Cooler temperatures and lower humidity were reported in northern Ohio as the week progressed, although some areas were hit with heavy rain over the prior weekend.
The combination of heat and plentiful moisture continued to benefit crops in the region. Fully 70-75% of the corn and soybeans in Illinois were rated as good or excellent on Aug. 7, compared with 56-59% of the acreage in Ohio and 51-52% in Indiana.
“Overall, the crops in my market area look very good currently, and we are getting rain as we speak,” said one contact at midweek.
Western Cornbelt:
Scattered showers moved through Iowa as the week progressed, with cooler temperatures on tap for eastern Iowa over the coming weekend. Western and central areas of the state, however, were bracing for another hot and humid weekend, with highs in Des Moines expected to climb into the 90s.
A hot and humid weekend was also in store for much of Missouri and Nebraska. Drought conditions were expanding across Nebraska in August, with patches of extreme-to-exceptional drought showing up in northeastern and southwestern areas of the state and a large section of central Nebraska labeled in the moderate-to severe categories.
Fully 71-73% of Iowa’s corn and soybeans were rated as good or excellent on Aug. 7, compared with 50-54% in Nebraska and 49-51% in Missouri. Nebraska’s sorghum crop slipped to 25% good or excellent, with 39% of the crop rated as poor or very poor. Missouri’s cotton and rice were reported at 51% and 47% good or excellent, respectively.
Southern Plains:
Hot, dry weather was the theme for much of the Southern Plains during the week, with highs climbing to the 90s and low triple digits. Spotty thunderstorms were reported across central Oklahoma on Aug. 9, however, with reports of damaging winds and lightning in some areas.
Severe-to-exceptional drought continued to cover most of the region, with the most extreme drought conditions reported in Texas, southern Oklahoma, and western Kansas. “The corn harvest is wrapping up and bolls are beginning to open on cotton,” said one Texas contact. “Some will begin the cotton harvest in the next two weeks.”
Crop conditions in the region were deteriorating due to the drought and heat. Good or excellent ratings were assigned to 30-31% of the corn in Colorado and Kansas on Aug. 7, compared with just 17% in Texas, where fully 50% of the corn fell in the poor or very poor categories. The Kansas soybean crop was 41% good or excellent.
The cotton crop was particularly stressed, with good or excellent ratings assigned to 32% of the acreage in Kansas, 14% in Texas, and 5% in Oklahoma. Fully 47-48% of the cotton in Oklahoma and Texas was rated as poor or very poor on Aug. 7.
Sorghum quality was also dropping, with good or excellent ratings assigned to just 42% of the acreage in Colorado, 32-35% in Oklahoma and Kansas, and 16% in Texas. USDA placed 51% of the Texas sorghum crop in the poor or very poor categories on Aug. 7.
South Central:
More thunderstorms were in the forecast for parts of Kentucky and Tennessee as the week progressed, raising the potential for localized flooding. President Biden on Aug. 8 toured flood-damaged areas of Kentucky after last month’s deluge, which dropped 8-10 inches of rain in only 48 hours.
Thunderstorms also tracked through southern Louisiana and parts of Mississippi late in the week, prompting warnings of possible localized flooding.
Crop conditions continued to suffer in Kentucky and Tennessee, where just 31-33% of the corn fell in the good or excellent categories on Aug. 7. Soybeans rated as good or excellent totaled 75% of the crop in Louisiana, 64% in Arkansas, 56% in Mississippi, and 42% in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Cotton conditions showed a similar spread, with 67% of the acreage in Arkansas and Louisiana rated as good or excellent, compared with 47-48% in Mississippi and Tennessee. The regional rice harvest was 21-25% complete in Louisiana and Texas by Aug. 7, with good or excellent ratings assigned to fully 89% of Louisiana’s rice crop, compared with 73% in Arkansas, 64% in Mississippi, and 42% in Texas.
Southeast:
Hot, humid weather blanketed much of the Southeast during the week, although strong thunderstorms on Aug. 10 dropped 2-4 inches of rain on parts of Virginia, causing localized flooding. Severe weather was also reported in northern Georgia on Aug. 9.
While just 32% of North Carolina’s corn registered as good or excellent on Aug. 7, 47% of the state’s soybeans were in those two categories. Cotton rated as good or excellent totaled 53% of the acreage in North Carolina, 65% in Georgia, 70% in South Carolina, 74% in Alabama, and 87% in Virginia.
Peanuts were in even better condition, with good or excellent ratings assigned to 59% of the crop in North Carolina, 69% in Georgia, 82% in South Carolina, 87% in Alabama, 89% in Florida, and fully 92% in Virginia.
Sources continued to report fertilizer moving for hay and pasture fertilization in the region, with wholesale price increases reported for urea and UAN.