USA: Corn ratings slide after hot and dry week in the east

U.S. Crop Watch corn in the eastern Corn Belt did not make it through last week’s hot and dry stretch unscathed, and crop health in the west was dinged by overly cool temperatures and excessive rain. Crop Watch fields in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa received between 2 and 7 inches of rain for the week ended Sunday with mixed impacts. The largest totals were in Minnesota, and some of those crops are now sitting underwater. Most Crop Watch producers consider the moderate temperatures expected in the week ahead as favorable, but locations in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio received between 0.25 and 0.6 inch of rain last week combined with scorching heat. Eastern producers are now feeling the pressure of picking up the modest rainfall forecast for this week before a potential return to dry conditions. U.S. forecasters last week predicted July to be warmer and possibly drier than normal, especially in the eastern Corn Belt. Some producers reported last week’s warmth as helpful ...