The impact of weather on maize yield

Being able to predict potential food shortages is of vital importance. The more extreme the weather, the more likely it is that crops will be adversely impacted. Although models used to predict seasonal weather are imperfect we can still extract useful information from them. The USA is the biggest exporter of crops and a catastrophic drought would have worldwide implications on the price and availability of food. However, before a statistical forecasting model can be built, the data needs to be closely examined. Here thirty years of data from Iowa, the state which is the largest producer of maize, is analysed to see which type of weather has the biggest impact on the yield.