The Pro Farmer Midwestern Crop Tour wrapped up Thursday after finding some unexpected drought areas. Drought conditions reported in the weekly Drought Monitor show classified droughts in The Dakotas, Western Nebraska, Much of Iowa, and small parts of Illinois and Indiana, and much of Ohio.
Meanwhile, most of the Western U.S. is dry, with many severe and extreme drought classifications. While much of the attention focuses on the derecho storm that hit Iowa and other states, potentially destroying up to ten percent of the nation’s corn crop, parts of Iowa are in moderate to severe drought.
Drought conditions expanded in western and northeastern Iowa in the last week. Organizers of the Drought Monitor say the expansion is in response to the short-term precipitation deficits during the past 60-day period, dry soils, and agricultural impacts.
Pro Farmer scouts toured Western Iowa Wednesday, reporting lower expected yields for the region. Pro Farmer’s final national crop projections will be released Friday afternoon.
