Fundamentally Speaking

Ahead of the 2015 growing season there has been little focus on U.S. weather though that will change in a few short weeks.

The most noteworthy event has been saturated soils from recent heavy moisture in the form of both snow and rain in the Delta and Ohio Valley regions that has caused localized flooding and delayed some early crop plantings.

On the other hand, the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows areas of exceptional drought in pockets of the Southern Plains in addition to California and a growing region of abnormally dry conditions that for months has covered MN and much of the Dakotas and now encompasses all of Wisconsin.

This really should not be a concern for two reasons.

First, this is the same area of the Corn Belt that has seen wet and cold springs over the past few seasons that has delayed, reduced or even eliminated some intended corn acreage so some dryness heading into planting season may not be such a bad thing.

Second is that subsoil moisture reserves are actually quite adequate.

This graphic shows the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) as of the end of February for the top 21 corn and soybean producing states and the U.S.

We also report the lowest or driest February PDSI readings since 1990 and the 25 year average for the February PDSI.

The chart shows that of the 21 states only six have negative PDSI readings but only two of any significance, MN and TX.

Texas like Oklahoma has been in a long-standing drought but conditions have actually improved quite a bit over the past year as the end of Feb PDSI reading for this state of -1.41 is the best since 2010.

The MN reading of -1.81 continues a drying trend that began last fall that bears watching. Even though the Dakotas are dry, the end of February PDSI readings of -3.98 and -3.36 for ND and SD respectively show plenty of moisture beneath the ground.

(KA)