US Planting Progress Lags

Wet and soggy conditions continue to hamper US farmers' planting progress with just 23% of spring wheat, 33% of corn and 5% of soybeans in the ground so far.

Spring wheat is normally 59% seeded by now, with progress in the US top producing state of North Dakota only 3% complete compared with 51% on average.

The weather looks to continue rather cool and wet in the week ahead for much of the Midwest, before a brief surge of hot air out of the southern Plains creates warm-front rains a week from today, with the two forward-one back “two-step dance” continuing. A major warm-up mimicking summer shows 10 days out, according to Allen Motew of QT Weather.