World Crop Weather Highlights

01/02/11 -- World agri-weather highlights from the excellent Martell Crop Projections:

  • Overnight storm precipitation developed mostly east of US hard red winter wheat; zero F temperatures invading the Great Plains; wheat is exposed; bitter cold will occur again tonight, Wednesday night in HRW wheat

  • Good rain in Mato Grosso yesterday, welcome with extreme heat; highs in the mid 90s F Monday; drought persisting East BZ soy states Goias, Minas Gerais; South Brazil soy states Parana and Rio Grande do Sul expecting heavy rain

  • More beneficial rain yesterday in northern Argentina; this follows 3-4 inches in Cordoba Sunday; drought resolving in nothern grain belt, usually plagued by drought with La Nina; temperatures trending cooler and favourable for crops

  • Dry weather in continental Europe with cold high pressure in control; winter wheat and rapeseed dormant again; dry January occurred in many areas following wet December on continent

  • Australian heat wave continued yesterday, highs 105-108 F in Victoria, near 100 F southern New South Wales; sharply cooling, heavy rain in forecast, 5-10 inches in recurring thunderstorms in southern NSW; talk about weather extremes!

  • China forecast includes chance for light-moderate rain in winter wheat Anhwei, Henan provinces; no important precip received October-January; cool winter temps a help, lowering evaporation; strong warming may bring wheat out of dormancy

  • Scattered showers predicted in Afghanistan may not reach Pakistan; winter wheat in serious drought; hot temps would stress wheat further; warm-up also unfavorable for west India winter crops rapeseed and wheat

  • Russia winter wheat dormant with cold temps; scattered precip, light snow keeps coming to Black Earth, Volga; Russia Black Sea wheat struggling in dry winter; Turkey wheat got heavy beneficial rain past 7 days