BRAZIL, Ind. – Significant precipitation continued from the Northern Rockies into the Upper Midwest and portions of the Great Lakes region, but rainfall coverage and intensity decreased across the remainder of the Central and Eastern U.S., according to the July 7 USDA Crop and Weather Bulletin for the week of June 28 to July 4.

Late-week thunderstorms were quite heavy in parts of the Midwest, where Des Moines, Iowa, netted 3.26 inches, a record for July 3. Another daily-record, 1.25 inches, was set in Des Moines July 4, the USDA added.

The USDA said 16 percent of the nation’s corn was silking. Three percent of the corn crop was at the dough stage by the end of the week. On July 5, 67 percent of the nation’s corn crop was rated in good to excellent condition.

For soybeans, 34 percent of the 2026 crop was blooming. Nine percent of the soybean crop had begun setting pods by the end of the week. On July 5, 64 percent of the nation’s soybean crop was rated in good to excellent condition. For winter wheat, 59 percent of the nation’s winter wheat acreage had been harvested by July 5, the USDA said, and 26 percent of the 2026 crop was rated in good to excellent condition.

Overall, growing conditions across the Midwest and into the Appalachians remain favorable entering mid-July, although the weather story is becoming increasingly regional, Justin Glisan, State Climatologist of Iowa, told Farm World.  

“While crop development is generally on or ahead of schedule, excess rainfall has emerged as the primary concern over portions of the Eastern Corn Belt and Appalachia, while parts of the Western Corn Belt continue to benefit from periodic rainfall without widespread water stress,” he said. “Portions of central and northeast Iowa have experienced over a month’s worth of rainfall just in the last seven days (as of July 8), leading to flooded fields and crop damage.”

Before planting was completed in his area, Brazil, Ind., farmer Kevin Cox said he had an early window when his acres could be planted.

He said if that window was missed, there would have been a significant delay that followed due to rain: “(It) started with some of the best conditions and ended with wet and cool conditions, including three frosts. 

“The early-planted crops got off to a great start, while the crops planted later have really struggled,” he added. “Several acres have required replanting due to excessive rainfall and low temperatures.” 

According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, Indiana expects around 25 tornadoes annually, Glisan said. “As of early July, preliminary numbers from the Storm Prediction Center indicate that 88 tornadoes have been reported in  Indiana this year.” 

Cox said the spring has brought several storms that have included excessive amounts of rainfall, as well as tornadoes: “Crops in many areas are showing damage from the excessive amount of rain. 

“We have some thin stands, several drowned-out spots, and fields of corn are showing yellowing from the loss of nitrogen,” he added. “We started tasseling and pollination this past week (as of July 7), so a break from the extreme heat this week and more rain in the weekend forecast is exactly what we need.”

Marshall, Ill., farmer John Yeley farms a corn and soybean rotation. He told Farm World this year has been very different from the past 26 years he’s been farming: “We had normal March rainfall, and I started planting beans on March 30, followed by corn in the first week of April. Temperatures were on the lower side of things, but ground conditions were perfect so we kept going little by little.”  

He said the last week of April, things began to change. “We had a five-inch rain, followed by very cool weather and several more, smaller amount of rain showers over the next 10 days. We had a two-day planting window mid-May, and cool temperatures for the rest of the month, with several multi-inch rains with zero field work being able to be done.”

He said June came in and there was a planting window for the first week: “Farmers were busy planting and replanting, and after that week, the rain cycle started again, with more severe storms in our area, including heavy rain, wind, hail and tornadoes – two were close to here in neighboring counties with a lot of damage. It has finally warmed up in the last two weeks (as of July 9), but we are still saturated,” adding that it was raining hard on July 9. 

He said crops are showing some severe stress due to excess moisture, with a lot of variation in crop height and color with beans showing it the worst: “I have about 350 acres of corn damaged by hail that spawned out of the last big system of tornadoes. 

“As of July 9 , I still have about 30 acres of corn that has not been able to be sprayed for the first time since planting, as well as some late planted soybeans,” he added. “Many farmers that had wheat have had it fall down and sprout in the head. Most guys that were going to double crop after the wheat haven’t been able to plant.”

He said it was a great start to April, but had he known what it was going to turn into, he would have pushed harder to finish in the first two weeks of April. “ May was almost a complete loss due to wetness and other than the first few days of June, it has been the same since. I think we are going to have an average crop at best, but more than likely a bit below average.”

For the three-week forecast, Glisan said temperature outlooks for the rest of July show no clear signal from the Midwest to Appalachia: “However, short-term outlooks into mid-July show chances of unseasonably warm conditions across the region, with better chances from the Central to Western Corn Belt. Unseasonably dry conditions also look to prevail for much of the Midwest, with near-normal chances east.”