World Crop Weather Highlights

25/02/11 -- World agri-weather highlights from the excellent Martell Crop Projections:

  • Heavy precipitation mostly rain fell yesterday Mid South, Eastern Midwest; moisture needed to replenish dry fields; more of the same predicted next week; bitter cold persisting Canadian prairies and Northern US Plains, spring wheat areas


  • Brazil Mato Grosso state still super wet, daily thunderstorms; more rain would be welcome in South Brazil, rather dry past 7-10 days; moisture needed in Rio Grande do Sul, soybeans filling pods; dry finish to growing season would hurt the yield


  • Argentina weather dry and very cool; night lows in the 50sF; autumn weather arriving early; soil moisture excellent in Cordoba, Santa Fe, Entre Rios; coolness promotes pod filling in soybeans; field moisture vastly improved from heavy rain, 8-11 inches since mid January; minor soy states in northeast Argentina super-wet last week


  • Dryness in France easing, scattered showers this week; more rain needed , 2-3 inch moisture deficit central France Jan-Feb; snowfall in SE Europe yesterday; moisture is needed; temperature contrast persisting, West Europe warm, East Europe and Ukraine cold


  • Australia rain set to return to Northern New South Wales, has been dry in February; Western Australia winter wheat area still hot, highs in the 90s; showers expected, not enough to offset heat; planting still a couple months off


  • China rainfall in winter wheat still has not materialized; GFS model insists rain is coming 0.75 to 1.5 inch eastern Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu; forecast not too wet northern wheat area Shandong, Hebei; warming temperature forcing wheat out of dormancy


  • Hot 80-90s F returned to India subcontinent; winter rapeseed (rainfed) is too warm and dry; Northwest India wheat faring better, scattered showers, cooler temperatures; temp forecast still favourably cool NW India


  • Still bitterly cold Russia Volga wheat region; night lows -18 to -23 F; Black Earth wheat relatively mild, lows zero to -10 F; Black Sea and Ukraine wheat areas much warmer, closer to average late Feb weather; Black Sea wheat needs moisture, past 4-6 weeks rather dry; best precipitation keeps developing to the south in Turkey, Middle East