04/29/26- Afternoon CommStock Report –

We started out the week with additional precipitation in the Eastern Corn Belt while South Dakota and Nebraska are hit or miss.  Bulls believe there is too much precipitation delaying planting, while Bears point out that the worst drought areas have been eliminated.   Areas in and around Wisconsin and Michigan have had the wettest March-April period ever recorded!  Meanwhile, the Southeast US and western edges of Nebraska and South Dakota experienced some of their driest on record.  Central and Western Iowa are sort of in the middle, with adequate showers keeping things wet but still allowing for fieldwork.  The US grain area in drought has been cut in half since March, and it continues getting smaller.   In NW Iowa, we finished planting our soybeans and half of our corn by April 22nd.  We have one more field to go but might not get to it until later this week.  There is no rush.  The forecast through May 5th now shows a drying pattern for the majority of the Corn Belt.  This will give time for fields to dry out and help to advance planting.  Areas of Missouri and Illinois need a break from the rain.  We don’t see significant…