Commodity Highlights

May 22, 2013

A slow-moving low will produce more wet weather and planting delays from the northern Plains to the upper-Midwest through Wednesday. The low's associated cold front coupled with a wave of low pressure will lead to more rain, some heavy, and strong thunderstorms from southeast TX to the TN valley into the eastern Great Lakes and Ohio Valley on Wednesday. These rains will also slow planting efforts across the Midwest. Another system will bring more rain and fieldwork disruptions to the northern Plains late this week and weekend. The wet pattern across the northern Plains and upper Midwest will likely persist through next week.

A disturbance will lead to spotty showers and thunderstorms across the US Plains hard red winter wheat areas on Thursday and Friday with showers and storms from eastern NE to eastern OK this weekend. A drier and warmer than normal pattern is expected across the central and southern US Plains next week.

Dry and mild weather across the Canadian Prairies through Thursday will aid fieldwork efforts. A system can bring scattered rains to the Prairies Friday into the weekend with some minor fieldwork delays possible.

Dry weather across Argentina and southern Brazil through the weekend will favor harvesting efforts as well as winter grain planting. However, the dry weather coupled with recent dry pattern across Argentina may raise moisture concerns for winter grain establishment.

A storm sliding east will bring additional beneficial rainfall to the croplands in eastern Australia over the next day or two. These rains will help boost topsoil moisture levels following recent dryness. The influx of moisture should help spur more vigorous winter grain planting efforts once dry weather returns for Friday into early next week.

A storm brought some beneficial rainfall and an increase in topsoil moisture levels to the winter wheat areas of southwest Australia earlier this week. Dry weather across southwest Australia through the weekend will favor planting efforts.

Wet and rather cool weather across much of Europe this week will continue to slow fieldwork in western and northern Europe. The rain and cooler temperatures will, however, be welcomed across southeast Europe into Ukraine and western Russia following the recent dry and warm period.

Widespread moderate to heavy rain across far southeast China this week will disrupt fieldwork in the region. This rain will likely stay south of the Yangtze Valley through Friday, allowing fields to dry down following recent wet weather that hindered rapeseed ripening and fieldwork.

A pair of fronts will bring some welcomed and beneficial rainfall to the North China Plain from Wednesday into the weekend. The rain will likely slow planting efforts but will increase soil moisture levels for already sown spring crops.