USDA Global Weather Highlights: Beneficial Rains in South America

USDA's Joint Ag Weather Facility has provided the following weekly weather/crop highlights:

• EUROPE: Widespread Rain, But Unfavorably Dry In Spain
  -Widespread rain boosts soil moisture for winter wheat and rapeseed from England and Germany into Poland and the Balkans.
  - Dry conditions in Spain maintain high irrigation requirements for early winter wheat planting.

• NORTHWESTERN AFRICA: Eastern Showers Provide Early Moisture
  - Showers in eastern Algeria and northern Tunisia condition fields for winter grain planting.

• MIDDLE EAST: Strong Storms In Turkey
  - Showers and thunderstorms, some severe, boost moisture for winter wheat establishment in Turkey.

• FSU: Western Wetness Contrasts With Warm, Dry Weather In The East
  - Widespread, locally heavy showers in Belarus, Ukraine, and western Russia improve soil moisture for winter grain and oilseed planting and establishment.
  - Dry, warm weather promotes the final stages of spring wheat harvesting in northern Kazakhstan and eastern Russia. Likewise, sunny skies favor cotton harvesting in southern crop districts.

• SOUTH ASIA: A Surge Of Moisture Benefits Cotton
  - A surge of monsoon rains in peninsular India bring beneficial moisture to reproductive cotton.
  - Warm, dry weather in northwestern India increases irrigation demands for reproductive cotton but favors winter wheat and rapeseed planting.

• EAST ASIA: Too Wet For Cotton
  - Wet weather on the North China Plain hampers cotton harvesting but boosts moisture supplies for winter wheat planting.

• SOUTHEAST ASIA: Flooding Continues In Indochina
  - Flooding persists for rice in Indochina.
  - Tropical Storm Banyan causes flooding for rice in the central Philippines.

• AUSTRALIA: Showers Benefit Crops
  - Showers in southeastern and Western Australia continue to benefit winter crops.
  - Soaking rains in eastern Australia slow winter wheat harvesting but increase moisture supplies for summer crops.

• SOUTH AMERICA: Beneficial Rain Continues Throughout The Region
  -Locally heavy showers further improve prospects for winter grains and summer crops in major production areas of central Argentina.
  - In Brazil, seasonal rains increase moisture levels for germination and establishment of soybeans and other summer crops, while providing more uniform moisture for flowering coffee.

• MEXICO: Late-Season Tropical Showers Cover Parts Of The South
  - Locally heavy showers give a late-season boost to southern reservoirs.