The following global crop and weather highlights from USDA’s Joint Ag Weather Facility are a helpful snapshot of global conditions:
EUROPE: Cold, Unsettled Weather Persisted Colder-than-normal weather over central and northern Europe slowed winter crop growth in France and England and kept winter wheat and rapeseed dormant in Germany , Poland and the Baltic States. Rain and mountain snow boosted moisture reserves for vegetative winter wheat and irrigated summer crops in Spain, Italy and the Balkans.
NORTHWESTERN AFRICA: Showers Favored Winter Grains Showers maintained adequate to abundant moisture supplies for vegetative to reproductive wheat and barley in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
MIDDLE EAST: Milder, Showery Weather Maintained Favorable Crop Prospects Mild, showery weather maintained favorable prospects for vegetative winter grains from Turkey into northern Iran. Dry, mild conditions accelerated winter crop development from Israel into southern Iran.
FSU: Colder In The South, With Rain And Snow Additional cold and snow in Belarus, northern Ukraine, and northern Russia kept winter grains dormant under a moderate to deep snowpack. Greening winter wheat was subjected to untimely freezes from southern Ukraine into Russia’s Southern District, possibly causing some localized burnback or freeze damage.
SOUTH ASIA: Hot, Dry Weather Aided Rabi Crop Harvesting In India Seasonably hot weather intensified in India as rabi crop harvesting continued.
EAST ASIA: Rainfall Aided Both Winter And Spring Crops Scattered showers provided beneficial moisture to vegetative winter wheat on western portions of the North China Plain, while more rainfall would be welcome for wheat elsewhere. Widespread rainfall benefited reproductive winter rapeseed and vegetative spring corn and rice in the Yangtze Valley and southern China.
SOUTHEAST ASIA: Wet Weather Continued In Java, Indonesia, And The Philippines Spring showers in Java, Indonesia and the southern Philippines slowed harvesting.
AUSTRALIA: Summer Crop Harvesting Progressed In southern Queensland and northern New South Wales , hot, mostly dry weather favored cotton and sorghum maturation and harvesting.
SOUTH AMERICA: Showers Continued Throughout Central Brazil In central Brazil, locally heavy rain slowed soybean harvesting while increasing moisture for second-crop corn and cotton. Scattered showers boosted moisture for Argentina’s late-planted corn and soybeans.
SOUTH AFRICA: Showers Overspread The Region Late-season rain came too late for maturing summer crops, but the moisture will ultimately benefit winter grains.
