The current monitoring period from July to October 2016 covers the growth and harvesting season of summer crops. CropWatch agroclimatic and agronomic indicators indicate above average crop condition in the North American MPZ.

During the monitoring period, most of the MPZ enjoyed sufficient precipitation and normal temperature, which was very beneficial to crop growth. The agroclimatic indicators show that RAIN was 30% above average, TEMP 0.3°C above, and RADPAR was just 2% below average. Abundant rainfall fell over the major crop production zones, including the Corn Belt (RAIN, +19%), northern Great Plains (+97%), British Columbia to Colorado (+41%), and the West Coast (+45%), which provided an adequate soil water supply for the growth of maize, soybean, and spring wheat. Especially after mid-September, above average temperature was very conducive to crop harvest.

Agronomic indicators confirm the generally above-average crop condition in the MPZ. Compared to the average of the past five years, accumulated biomass potential (BIOMSS) increased by 4%. Two distinct BIOMSS patterns are observed: values of 20% above average (the reference point) occurred in the northwestern regions (Corn Belt and northern Great Plains), whereas the southeast shows values that are negative and even below -20%. Good crop condition is confirmed by a high average VCIx value (0.92) in the southern Canadian Prairies and northern Great Plains, as well as in the Corn Belt where VCIx even exceeded 1, indicating very favorable crop condition. According to the CropWatch CALF indicator over the whole monitoring period, 94% of arable lands were cropped, which is 3 percentage points above the average of the recent five years. At the same time, cropping intensity significantly increased, reaching 4% above the 5YA average.

Considering the performance of the zone’s agroclimatic and agronomic indicators, good summer crop production can be expected for the North American MPZ.

(a) Spatial distribution of rainfall profiles b. Profiles of rainfall departure from average (mm)

(b) Spatial distribution of temperature profiles d. Profiles of temperature departure from average (°C)

e. Maximum VCI                                                                                       f.Cropped arable land

g. Biomass accumulation potential departure                                       h. VHI minimum 

i.Croppingintensity