Dive Brief:

• Recent rainfall has improved conditions in corn-growing regions, somewhat alleviating concerns that rapidly intensifying drought in the Midwest would devastate harvests. 
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture rated 55% of domestic field corn as good or excellent for the week of July 9, up from 51% the prior week. That number was 64% for the same week last year. 
• "Rains have helped immensely," Dennis Todey, director of the USDA Midwest Climate Hub, said during a webinar last week. But spotty weather conditions across the region mean "we're not out of the woods."

Dive Insight:

Cooler temperatures and wetter conditions have brought much-needed relief to stressed crops, though not every part of the Midwest benefited.

Heavy rains fell across much of central and northern Illinois and parts of Indiana and Ohio, according to an update from the U.S. Drought Monitor. But dry conditions continued or intensified in southern Missouri, eastern Wisconsin, and central and northwest Minnesota. 

Drought has affected more than just corn. Todey said pasturelands, particularly in Missouri, have deteriorated to the point where some farmers are choosing to sell off cattle rather than pay more for forage. 

Even in areas that received rainfall, it wasn't enough to completely erase traces of drought. Soil moisture remained below normal levels across Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, eastern Nebraska and Kansas, Molly Woloszyn, regional drought information coordinator for the National Integrated Drought Information System, said during the webinar.

In some cases, rain may have come too late. Dry weather occurred as corn entered the reproductive or tasseling phase, Todey said, which is when the plant is typically most sensitive to environmental stress. 

"We have improved the situation, but we have not fixed the situation," he said.