Crop Conditions
Improvements in the western Corn Belt outweighed deterioration elsewhere
HRW rating declines, while SRW sees improvement
USDA also raised its corn and soybean condition ratings
NOAA officially declared El Niño on Thursday and says the climate pattern has a 63% chance of reaching “very strong” status by fall, potentially shaping U.S. weather through harvest and winter.
Meteorologist Eric Snodgrass says warmer Pacific waters - not just El Niño - could drive a wetter, stormier summer across much of the Midwest and central U.S.
Percentage of winter wheat crop rated ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ unchanged
Record corn yields have risen 10x in 100 years. David Hula says continued genetic gains, along with a deeper understanding of what’s happening underground, could push yield potential far beyond what most farmers expect.
Nearly half of Oklahoma and Nebraska wheat is rated poor to very poor as record heat and extreme moisture deficits stress the 2026 Hard Red Winter crop.
Freezing temperatures pushed condition ratings lower again this week
NOAA and CPC issue an official El Niño watch with a 62% chance of forming by late summer. Meteorologist Drew Lerner explains why it’s coming sooner than expected, but warns the extreme forecasts may be overstated. What it could mean for global crops this year.