News

Can crop conditions hold?

An ag economist with American Farm Bureau says divergent weather throughout the planting season will likely impact national crop conditions this growing season.

Shelby Myers tells Brownfield with most of the corn and soybean planting complete, nearly two-thirds of the crops are currently rated good to excellent but she questions how long that can hold with a wide spanning drought and wet areas to the south impacting crops.

“We do have this increasing drought condition happening looking into the Dakotas and moving eastward, you can see especially in Minnesota how it’s drier than it’s been before,” she says. “Middle South—Texas, Louisiana, up through the Mississippi River—has been wetter than usual, and seeing the weather patterns there and if it dries out in time for them to get the crops in that they need too is really reflected in cotton planting progress.”

Myers says USDA’s June 30^th report will update the nation’s planting intentions and she’ll be watching to see how planting intentions might have shifted and estimated supply changes.