Across the Corn Belt, dry weather favors late-season harvest efforts. By November 5, the Midwestern soybean harvest ranged from 70% complete in Michigan to 95% or greater in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. Despite recent precipitation, topsoil moisture was still rated at least one-half very short to short on November 5 in Iowa (55%) and Nebraska (50%).
On the Plains, cooler weather prevails in the wake of a cold front’s passage. Friday’s high temperatures will range from near 35°F in northern North Dakota to 60°F or higher across portions of the central Plains. Cloudy weather has arrived across the southern Plains, with rain showers developing in some areas. The rain is slowing fieldwork but benefiting rangeland, pastures, and winter wheat, especially in drier areas of Texas. In late October, nearly two-thirds (62%) of the rangeland and pastures in Texas were rated in very poor to poor condition.
In the South, generally beneficial rain showers are spreading eastward from Texas. Early Friday, light rain is falling as far east as the Mississippi Delta. On November 7, prior to this rain event, the U.S.
