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Empresas y finanzas

No relief for flooded U.S. crops


    CHICAGO (Reuters) - More rains pummeled parts of the U.S. Midwest crop belt in the past day, offering no relief to flooded crop fields or swollen rivers after days of storms, a forecaster said Friday.

    Up to 2 inches of rain fell in eastern Iowa on Thursday andan inch in northern Missouri. Rains in the eastern Midwestfavoured southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois where 0.3 to2.5 inches fell.

    "There seems to be more concern about farmers not beingable to finish soybean planting as it's getting late," saidMike Palmerino, forecaster with DTN Meteorlogix.

    "There's also corn acreage that will not get planted andwon't get replanted," he said.

    Roughly 17 million acres of soybeans have yet to be plantedas of Sunday, based on the government's weekly crop progressreport. This week's rains offered little opportunity forfarmers to finish planting.

    This is especially worrisome for U.S. farmers because theywere counting on big corn and soybean crops to meet the world'sdemand for grains for food and feedstocks to produce biofuels.

    More rains will move through the Midwest over the nextweek.

    Central Missouri was forecast to get 0.25 to 1.0 inch ofrain, locally heavier, on Friday. In the eastern belt, rains of0.5 to 2.5 inches were forecast, with the central to southernportions of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio getting the most.

    Moderate to heavy showers return on Sunday. From 0.25 to1.0 inch, locally heavier, were forecast for the western beltfor Sunday. The east should see similar amounts Sunday toMonday, Palmerino said.

    Additional rains of 0.25 to 1.5 inch, locally heavier, wereexpected for Tuesday to Wednesday.

    Temperatures will be below normal, with highs in mid-70s tomid-80s degrees Fahrenheit the next seven days in the westernCorn Belt.

    The eastern Midwest will be warmer through Sunday as highsreach the upper 70s to mid-80s. Then it will turn cooler, withhighs in the mid-70s to low 80s through Thursday.

    "The cool temperatures continue to slow crop developmentand emergence," Palmerino said.

    The Meteorlogix six- to 10-day Midwest outlook, Wednesdayto Sunday, called for normal to below-normal temperatures andnormal to above-normal rainfall.

    (Reporting by Christine Stebbins; Editing by John Picinich)