Drought Threat Has Lessened
Late-winter rains and snow have shrunk the area the NOAA classifies as being in a persistent drought rather dramatically. The updated Seasonal Drought Outlook map indicates the area where a serious drought between now and June is likely has been roughly cut in half, with improvement in the soil moisture situation both east and west of the central and southern Plains.
The heart of hard red winter wheat country remains in a drought, but some important corn and soybean growing areas that were previously dry are now in much better shape. This includes the northern third of Illinois, the southern half of Iowa and most of the state of Missouri and eastern Kansas. With the exception of the southern half of Nebraska, the rest of the Corn Belt is either drought-free or improving.
Editors note: Richard Brock, The Corn and Soybean Digest's Marketing Editor, is president of Brock Associates, a farm market advisory firm, and publisher of The Brock Report.
To see more market perspectives, visit Brock's Web site at www.brockreport.com.
