Commodity Highlights

May 18, 2012

Much of the Midwest corn and soybean belt will have dry weather on Friday before a front spreads rain and thunderstorms eastward across the belt later Saturday through Monday. The heaviest rains with this front are expected from Wisconsin and Illinois on westward with mainly light to perhaps moderate rainfall farther east. Mainly dry on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Much of the US Plains hard red winter wheat areas will have dry weather on Friday, favoring fieldwork. A frontal boundary will trigger scattered showers and thunderstorms across Nebraska and Kansas Saturday, then across eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas on Sunday into Monday. A few lighter showers are possible in western Oklahoma and northwest Texas on Sunday and Monday. Dry across much of the winter wheat croplands around midweek.

Dry weather across the lower-Mississippi valley through the weekend will favor planting efforts. A front passage early next week will lead to scattered showers and thunderstorms across the region. These rains may lead to minor fieldwork delays. Dry weather is expected much of the rest of next week.

A front will lead to scattered showers and thunderstorms across the Argentina croplands on Friday, slowing the harvest. Briefly drying out on Saturday, then another front can lead to more showers and storms on Sunday into Monday. Dry weather much of the rest of next week will favor fieldwork.

Harvesting operations will progress with minimal, if any, delays across much of the Brazilian croplands through the weekend into early next week. A front can lead to scattered showers and thunderstorms across southern Brazil around midweek.

Drier than normal weather is expected across much of the North China Plain through next week will favor fieldwork. However, more rain would be welcomed to boost moisture levels for establishing and developing crops.

A few light showers are possible from eastern Ukraine to northwest Russia on Friday and Saturday, then over Ukraine on Sunday. Rainfall next week will be near normal across Ukraine, while the Volga Valley is mainly drier than normal.

An area of disturbed weather near the Yucatan Peninsula will bring widespread rain some heavy from Guatemala and Belize to Nicaragua and Costa Rica through at least the weekend. Some of the rain can be heavy enough to cause flash flooding.