News

Long term forecasts calling for a wet spring in the Corn Belt

Things could be shaping up for a wet spring in the Corn Belt. 

Eric Snodgrass, chief atmospheric scientist with Nutrien Ag Solutions, says long-term weather outlooks show relief from the months-long Midwestern drought could be on the way.

“It’s very rare that we carry an overwinter drought all the way into spring.”  He says, “I would anticipate making a pretty sizable jump back off the drought monitor as we go forward into the next two and a half months.”

Brownfield’s Greg Soulje agrees…

“There should be, generally speaking, more winter precipitation coming and getting increasingly wetter soils.  Good news there.”  He says, “But then the spring rains on top of that, so I think we may have a little worrisome start to the planting season.”

AUDIO: Greg Soulje – Brownfield Ag News Meteorogist

Snodgrass says a wet spring would fit the trends.

“Based off of the USDA’s definition of days suitable for field work, we estimate that when you look at all of April and May, going back to 1980, we find that we’ve lost about 5 days that are now not there to use effectively,” he says.

Soulje says current forecasts show planting windows are likely to open up later in the spring and give way to timely summer rains for much of the Corn Belt.

Brownfield spoke with Soulje at the 2026 ISPFMRA annual meeting in Springfield and with Snodgrass at the DeWitt County Soil and Water Conservation District’s annual meeting in Clinton.

AUDIO: Eric Snodgrass – Nutrien Ag Solutions