The next 2 weeks don't look too promising if you're a farmer in the Corn Belt waiting on rain to kick some life into your crops. The maps on the right show the likelihood of rainfall in the noted time periods, with the green "A" areas indicating those where there are above-normal chances for rainfall, while the yellow "B" areas indicate where chances for rain are below normal.

• See the latest from the July Crop Tour
• Also: Tour the parched Corn Belt
• Read more: Tour will tally drought, potential

These conditions looking ahead come on top of painful trend that's unfolded over the last 2 months; virtually all of the Corn Belt, Plains and mid-South has been short on moisture and long on high temperatures. Below, see MDA's latest rainfall and precipitation maps. (Click on the maps to see larger versions).