The U.S. Midwest continued to be inundated with rainfall over the weekend further boosting anxiety about corn and soybean production potential.
Some of the worst conditions were in parts of south-central Indiana, where rainfall totals upwards of 10 inches were reported on Saturday.
President Bush late Sunday declared a major disaster in 29 of Indiana’s 92 counties. Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle declared an emergency for 29 counties, while Iowa Governor Chet Culver activated the state's emergency operations center and put 31 of the state’s 99 counties under an emergency proclamation.
Many previously planted corn and soybean fields were left underwater across by across southeastern Illinois, northern Iowa, southern Indiana, southern Wisconsin and parts of Michigan.
May of those fields will need replanting, but whether producers will be able to get back into fields to do so is uncertain with soils saturated and weather expected to remain wet at least through the rest of this week.
Dwindling supplies of short-season corn seed and soybean seed will also make it difficult for producers to replant.
More rain is on the way with another storm system expected to move through the Midwest by late Wednesday and 6- to 10-day forecasts call for wetter-than-normal weather for much of the Midwest through June 15.
However, forecasters do see weather turning dry across the southern two-thirds of the Midwest next week.