Climate in Europe creates uncertainty for farmers

The weekly bulletin of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) pointed out that hot and rainy weather prevailed in much of the European continent, while in the Iberian Peninsula, the weather remained dry, but not so hot. The typical summer weather pattern stood out, with widespread, albeit highly variable, rain and thunderstorms, along with temperatures close to or above average in most growing areas. As is common for this time of year, precipitation totals ranged from less than 5 mm to locally more than 50 mm from eastern Spain, France and southeastern England to northern Italy and the Balkans. The rain maintained generally favorable conditions for the reproductive development of corn, soybeans and sunflowers. However, short-term drought remained a concern from eastern France to southern Germany, as well as Poland and the Baltic states. At the same time, a powerful, slow moving storm system produced a separate area of very heavy rain (25-125 mm) and strong, gusty winds ...