As the 2025 growing season advances, producers across North America are watching the skies and soil moisture closely. While some regions have had a decent start, others are already bracing for a dry and challenging summer.
In a mid-June weather update, meteorologist Matt Makens of Makens Weather joined RealAg Radio to offer a detailed outlook. Makens points to an early and accelerated dry-down across parts of the Prairies and the U.S. Corn Belt as cause for concern. “We’re seeing a faster dry-out phase than what we had last year by a couple, three weeks or so,” he says.
Southwestern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta are expected to be both the driest and warmest parts of the Prairies this summer. Makens notes that while some parts of eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba had good early-season moisture, the probability of rain drops off significantly after July, calling the pattern consistent with the past several years.
In the U.S., concern is building in Iowa and Nebraska, where rapid heating and drying may coincide with corn pollination. “The pattern is not favourable… the timing had better be spot-on to the minute,” Makens says. While eastern parts of the Corn Belt are better off moisture-wise, he cautions that “you’re going to see kind of different headlines” across the region.
Eastern Canada, meanwhile, is set for a more moderate season with delayed warmth and a band of moisture migrating northward later in the year—offering some balance to spring’s cooler-than-normal start.