Ag Informer – Latest Rains Still Not Enough

Widespread rains finally swept across the Midwest over the past week, but they didn’t put much of a dent into the overall U.S. drought picture with drought percentages still resembling 2012.

The National Drought Mitigation Center now estimates 67% of the U.S. corn crop and 60% of soybeans are still considered to be in drought. That’s a slight improvement from last week, when 70% of corn and 63% of soybeans were covered by drought, but the improvements were minimal at a time when more of the corn crop is starting to tassel.

USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey says the U.S. corn-in-drought percentage was actually a little higher on November 1, 2022, when 71% of the crop was considered to be in drought. But he points out that was after most of the crop had been harvested. Today, crop conditions are drawing comparisons to 1988, but the drought monitor is showing similarities to 2012 with a few key differences.

Rippey says 2012 saw more of the U.S soybean crop in drought, but those impacts showed up later in the season.

Nationally, the latest drought monitor shows minimal improvements nationwide. The amount of the country considered abnormally dry now sits at 87%, nearly a 3-point improvement.
D1 (moderate drought) is still parked over 63% of the U.S., less than a point better than last week.
D2 (severe drought) is virtually unchanged.