In general, crop condition was above average in the North American MPZ (figure 2.2) over the reporting period. This monitoring period covered seeding, flowering, and heading stages of summer crops (maize,soybeans, barley, oats, spring wheat, and durum wheat) as well as heading and harvesting stages of winter wheat (hard red, soft red, soft white, and hard white wheat). Overall, the agroclimatic indicators show that rainfall (RAIN) was31% above average and temperature (TEMP) average, while radiation (RADPAR) was4% below average. Biomass (BIOMSS) shows a 10% positive departure, and the fraction of cropped arable land (CALF) was 1 percentage point above average.The maximum VCI for the MPZ was 0.9.

In June and July, abundant rainfall fell in the Corn Belt and major soybean production zones, providing enough soil water for maize and soybeans growth, especially in Iowa (RAIN +15%), Illinois (+59%), Nebraska(+67%), Indiana (+33%), Minnesota (+1%), Ohio (+7%), and Indiana (+33%). The good performance of crops is supported by high values for maximum VCI; VCIvalues in almost all regions were above 0.8 and in some states even greater than 1.0, indicating record crop condition. In the winter wheat zones, abundant rainfall occurred in Kansas (+36%), Oklahoma (+126%), Texas (+101%), and  Arkansas (+56%), especially in May and July. It is reported by United States media that excessive rain caused record-breaking floods in Oklahoma and Texas;additional detail is provided in section 5.2. In the rice zones, abundant rainfall fell in Arkansas (+56%) and Louisiana (+43%), favoring the rice crop.

In Canada's main production zones, rainfall amounts were below average. In Alberta and Saskatchewan, rainfall sharply decreased by -49%compared to average. Considering rain-fed cropped land features in Canada, crop condition would be impacted by serious water stress.

Figure 2.2. North America MPZ:Agroclimatic and agronomic indicators, April-July 2015