Drought
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.
Ben Rand of Blue Line Futures says an unprecedented Western drought is shrinking crops, drying up wells, tightening hay supplies and accelerating cattle herd liquidation across the region
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.
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.
A fast-developing El Niño could bring much-needed rain to the Plains, but timing and coverage remain uncertain. Brian Bledsoe explains what a strong event could mean for drought relief.
With wheat barely a foot tall, the flag leaf is already emerging—a sign the crop is rushing to reproduce under stress, leaving too little structure to support a harvest. Less than 10% may be harvested in West Texas.
While an unexpected March freeze is causing some farmers in Mississippi to replant corn, a mild spring is spurring early planting, with some farmers reporting they’ll finish planting corn by the end of this week.
Brian Bledsoe of Brian Bledsoe Weather explains what’s driving the record heat, how long it may last and why it’s not a repeat of 2012.
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.
A wet, active weather pattern across the Eastern Corn Belt could delay early planting this spring. Meteorologist Matt Griffin says repeated rain events through March and April may keep fields too saturated for fieldwork east of Iowa.