Drew Lerner, Author at World Weather

Northwest Africa Planting To Expand In Coming Weeks

Kansas City, October 14 (World Weather Inc.) – Planting of the winter grains usually begins mid-October for northwestern Africa. Moisture is lacking in several production areas despite portions of Morocco trending wetter than usual during the past three months. There is ample time for rain to improve establishment and early-season development conditions and the dryness is not yet an immediate concern. A disturbance will promote scattered showers to several areas over the weekend and early next week that will be beneficial for early-season planting. Additional rain is likely later this month as well. Planting and establishment conditions will slowly improve across the region through the end of October as a result of the erratic rainfall.

China Winter Wheat, Rapeseed Prospects Improving

Kansas City, October 14 (World Weather Inc.) – Some winter wheat areas in China’s North China Plain have been drying down in recent days. Planting of the wheat usually ends this month and many unirrigated locations are too dry for ideal establishment. Winter rapeseed planting in the Yangtze River Basin usually continues into November. The region generally had enough moisture in recent weeks to support better establishment, at least compared to the drier areas in the North China Plain. Waves of rain through the end of the weekend will be well-timed across the Yangtze River Basin and North China Plain. Soil moisture will increase and should improve establishment conditions for most crops. Precipitation near and north of the Yangtze River may otherwise slow or delay late-season harvesting of the summer crops.

SE U.S. Drying To Improve Crops, Harvest Following Isaias

Kansas City, October 14 (World Weather, Inc.) – Hurricane Isaias brought a final “blow” to crops and property in the southeastern corner of the United States last weekend ending a two-week period of excessive moisture. Drying in recent days since Isaias passed through the region has allowed damage assessments to begin from the excessive wind and rain that impacted the region from Florida into Alabama and Georgia most recently. The assessments are ongoing, but damage did occur to crops in the region – mostly to cotton, but to some degree the peanut and remaining soybean crops as well. Cotton was already beat up before Isaias impacted the region last weekend due several days of heavy to excessive rain that fell in the previous week. The two-week rain totals were impressive and overwhelming for cotton fiber quality and some of the crop was strung out of its bolls by the excessive rain noted from each heavy rain event. The drier weather under way now may last up to two weeks and that should lead to some crop improvement and allow harvesting to quickly ramp back up across the region once again.