April provides moisture boost to bulk of midwest

Though not as important to final production numbers as weather in July and August, weather in the month of April is still critical across the Midwest as it has the first real chance to have a material impact on the coming growing season.

One could argue that March would also fit this bill, but history would show that a dry March can quickly be erased by a couple weeks of daily rainfall through April; and inversely, a wet March can quickly be undone by warm and windy conditions in the month following.

The sheer variability of conditions, with everything from snow and ice to summer-like warmth and tornadoes being normal, illustrates the importance of April as a table setter for the rest of the growing season.

This year, the month was generally...