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.

