World Crop Weather Highlights

27/04/11 -- World agri-weather highlights from the excellent Martell Crop Projections:

  • Stormy weather in United States; tornadoes, heavy rain Mid South; Beneficial rain in Kansas, only scattered coverage; much more needed to relieve drought; Upper Great Plains warming beneficial, highs over 60 F Monday, very welcome for drying out soggy fields; wet and cool weather set to return to Western Canada, northern US Plains; strong cooling also would target northern-eastern Midwest corn states; seeding already 10-12 days behind schedule

  • Brazil soybean harvest 92% complete; dry weather Mato Grosso detrimental for late-developing safrinha corn; flooding occurred in Rio Grande Sul, 10-12 inches of rain past 30 days; crops mostly harvested Southern Brazil; wheat planting due to begin May; seasonal cooling under way; lows near 50 F Rio Grande do Sul

  • Argentina harvesting moving forward; corn 49% in the bin, soybean harvest 52% done; wheat planting due to begin soon; dryness worrisome for wheat seeding southern Buenos Aires -La Pampa; heavy rain predicted however

  • Drought still a big problem in Northern Europe; wheat and rapeseed under moisture stress; welcome showers reached central France last week; beneficial where they occurred; United Kingdom becoming extremely dry, no rain for 2-3 weeks; Germany crops also unduly stressed by persistent dryness, unusually warm weather; scattered showers in the forecast will aid crop, much more rain needed than is predicted

  • Australia soil moisture good Queensland after recent heavy rain; wheat planting getting under way Victoria; summer conditions were very wet, replenishing subsoil moisture; Western Australia still too dry; dribs and drabs of rainfall, not enough to relieve drought; May rainfall must be heavy in top wheat state for seeding to begin in earnest; forecast continues rather dry and cool

  • April weather dry North China Plain; negative for wheat, especially with hot weather; highs over 90 F Henan and Anhui provinces; reduced wheat yields anticipated; Jilin temps went backward, sharp cooling last week; corn planting will not begin till spring rains begin in full force; conditions still very dry; southern China forecast is wet; April weather has been unseasonably dry southern, southeastern China rice areas; hot temperatures not helpful, worsens drought stress

  • Pre-monsoon heat building in India; highs over 100 F causing rapid drying of wheat; harvest accelerating; pre-monsoonal shower have dried up, last week affected southern, eastern India; forecast now is dry

  • Russia warmth welcome in Volga; soils still very wet, beginning to dry out; Black Sea wheat got a boost from heavy rain recently; stubborn dryness hanging on Volgograd, Rostov; Ukraine weather excellent for spring seeding; recent heavy rain increased winter wheat, rapeseed development optimism high for new crop grain potential; hopeful for exports to resume; Turkey wheat development, jointing to heading; freeze last week may have caused damage