Eastern Cornbelt:
Cooler temperatures moved into the Eastern Cornbelt during the week, with highs in the mid- to upper-50s across Illinois, Indiana, and northern Ohio. Mostly dry weather created favorable conditions for the fall harvest, and sources reported fall fertilizer applications picking up steam in many areas.
Unseasonably warm weather continued over much of Michigan during the week, however. Highs in the mid-70s were common across central and southern Michigan, with lows only dropping to the 50s in most locations. Some parts of the state picked up nearly an inch of rain on Oct. 25-26, but clear weather was on tap again for the weekend.
Highs in the mid-50s were reported in central and southern Wisconsin during the week, with lows falling to the mid-30s and low-40s. Highs were expected to reach the 60s in some locations by the end of the week, with mostly dry conditions likely over the weekend.
The dry, warm weather created ideal harvest conditions in late October. The corn harvest as of Oct. 23 was 65% complete in Illinois, 54% in Indiana, and 36% in Ohio, with the soybean harvest estimated at 70-78% complete in the region. Winter wheat planting was 84% complete in Ohio by that date, compared with 65-67% in Indiana and Illinois.
In the Great Lakes region, the corn harvest as of Oct. 23 was 22% complete in Wisconsin and 30% in Michigan, while the soybean harvest had progressed to 76% complete in Wisconsin and 63% in Michigan. Michigan growers also had 41% of the sugar beets picked by Oct. 23, and winter wheat planting was 85% complete in the state.
Western Cornbelt:
Although the week began with scattered showers across Iowa, drier weather returned for the final days of October, allowing growers to make rapid progress on the fall harvest. Highs in the low-60s were common across central Iowa by the end of the week.
Spotty rains also moved through Nebraska on Oct. 27, with highs topping out in the upper-50s and low-60s. A number of wildfires were fanned by dry, windy conditions in Missouri as severe-to-extreme drought conditions expanded across central and southern areas of the state.
The corn harvest as of Oct. 23 was ahead of the average pace at 78% complete in Missouri, 65% in Nebraska, and 59% in Iowa, with soybeans also tracking ahead of normal at 88-93% complete in Iowa and Nebraska, and 59% in Missouri.
Missouri’s rice was 97% harvested by Oct. 23, along with 55% of the state’s cotton crop. Nebraska’s sorghum harvest had progressed to 55% complete by that date. Winter wheat planting in the region was estimated at 96% complete in Nebraska by Oct. 23, compared with 51% in Missouri.
Northern Plains:
The week began with a powerful autumn storm that brought snow, rain, and 25-30 mph winds to parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota. Up to 3-6 inches of snow was reported in western North Dakota, while Bismarck, N.D., experienced strong thunderstorms.
Things began drying out on Oct. 25, with highs reaching the 50s in southern Minnesota and the 40s in northern areas of the state. Additional warming was expected as the week advanced, with highs expected to reach the 60s by the weekend.
The Twin Cities area posted its second driest June to October period on record this year, registering just 7 inches of precipitation, compared with an average of 18 inches. Nearly all of the Dakotas were in some form of drought in late October, with patches of extreme drought reported in southern South Dakota and southern Minnesota.
The dry field conditions for most of the month led to rapid progress on the fall harvest, with all three states tracking ahead of the average harvest pace for all crops. The corn harvest as of Oct. 23 was 64% complete in South Dakota, 61% in Minnesota, and 48% in North Dakota, while the soybean harvest had progressed to 92-95% complete in the region.
South Dakota’s sorghum crop was 68% harvested by Oct. 23. The sunflower harvest was 32-39% complete in the Dakotas by that date, and the sugar beet harvest had progressed to fully 95-96% complete in North Dakota and Minnesota.
Northeast:
The week got off to a wet start in New England, with steady showers contributing to rainfall totals of 3-4 inches across southern Massachusetts. A drier pattern emerged late in the week, however, with temperatures topping out in the 40s and 50s and frost warnings in effect for some areas over the weekend.
Showers were also reported across Maryland and Pennsylvania during the first half of the week, but clear skies and temperatures in the 60s returned on Oct. 27-28. Rain was once again in the weekend forecast for the Mid-Atlantic region.
The wet conditions limited harvest progress in much of the region. Pennsylvania’s corn harvest was only 20% complete by Oct. 23, well behind the 42% five-year average. New York’s corn harvest was 29% complete by that date, with 71% of the acreage rated as good or excellent. “Yields are very varied this year,” commented one Pennsylvania source at midweek.
Eastern Canada:
Warm, dry weather across much of Ontario and Quebec aided the fall harvest in late October. Record high temperatures were reported in a number of Quebec locations at midweek, with highs in Montreal reaching 24.6 C on Oct. 25.
Some scattered showers and gusty winds moved through southern Quebec at midweek, but warmer weather was once again on tap for the balance of the week and into the coming weekend. Thunderstorms were also reported in parts of the Maritimes at midweek.
The soybean harvest was nearly complete across southwestern Ontario by late October, with wheat planting well advanced as well. The corn harvest ranged from 10-50% complete in Ontario, depending on the region, with one source describing yields on both corn and soybeans as “better than anticipated” following a stretch of dry weather in July and August.
Sources reported “a fair amount of fall fertilizer moving” in the region in late October, with wheat starters mostly finished and fall plowdown application just starting. “We have had a few customers that will wait until spring in hopes of pricing relief, but for the most part we’ve had a fantastic start to the fall,” said one contact.