04/22/26 Afternoon CommStock Report – Weather Outlook Cold but Non-Threatening –- Urea Problem Not Going Away Anytime Soon

If planters were not rolling last week, they are now.  I drove through Eastern Iowa late last week and noticed that fields were well watered, with some low-lying fields experiencing some ponding.  Many fields were already planted.  Areas that received heavier rainfall exceeding 2″ or more in the last several weeks will need some more time to dry out.  Meanwhile areas in the Western Corn belt that received less than 2″ are actively planting.  We waited for the freezing temperatures to pass last weekend before starting ourselves.  My beans are going in today which would be a record by just 1 day.  Forecast shows scattered showers later this week so everyone is pushing to get everything done as quickly as possible.   Precipitation builds later into next week in the Eastern and Southern portions of the Corn Belt. However, beginning around May 4th, skies clear.  As we have stated previously, planting will likely make more progress in the Western Corn Belt than the Eastern half, as saturated fields will limit progress and growers will need more time for them to dry out.  Long range forecasts are non-threatening, showing normal to above normal rainfall out to June 5th.  The crop should…